The FBI searched the home of the suspect who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, continuing their ongoing investigation.
The federal agents are seeking evidence against 58-year-old Ryan Routh, aiming to uncover his motive, which he has yet to reveal to investigators.
“We were conducting court-authorized activity there Tuesday and are no longer on-site,” an FBI spokesperson told Newsweek.
The FBI said no additional information is available at this time due to the ongoing investigation.
Court-authorized activity means law enforcement or other agencies have received permission from a judge or court to conduct specific activities, such as searches, surveillance, or seizures, as part of their investigation.
A police officer walks by the home of Ryan Routh, the man accused of an apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump, while FBI agents conduct a search inside, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, Kaaawa, Hawaii.
Audrey McAvoy/AP Photo
Routh was detained after he allegedly fired a rifle from the bushes surrounding the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sunday.
Trump was unharmed in the attempted attack, and he returned to his home at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach afterward. It is the second assassination attempt on Trump in a period of about two months.
In a federal court appearance Monday morning, Routh was charged with two gun crimes—possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Routh is due to appear in court again on September 23, for a bond hearing. He could also face further charges.
Left: In this imaged released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement officers arrest Ryan Routh, the man suspected in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024; Right: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump during a town hall event at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.
AP Photo
How FBI Conducts Searches of Suspects’ Home
Newsweek reached out to Tom Simon who served the FBI for 26 years as a Special Agent with an expertise in white collar crime investigations and sensitive national security matters.
He detailed to Newsweek the procedures the FBI typically follows when conducting searches of suspects’ homes.
He explained the FBI carefully investigates and gathers enough evidence to establish probable cause before searching a suspect’s home for any crime-related evidence.
Investigator vehicles parked outside the Kaaawa, Hawaii home of Ryan Routh, the man accused of an apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, while FBI agents conduct a search inside.
Audrey McAvoy/AP Photo
“The FBI case agent documents that probable cause in an affidavit that accompanies a search warrant request to a federal judge,” Simon said. “The judge evaluates the evidence in the affidavit to verify that the bar of probable cause has been cleared. If so, the judge signs the search warrant and returns it to the FBI.”
“Armed with the signed search warrant, the FBI agents execute the warrant at the subject’s home looking for the evidence spelled out in the warrant. The FBI gathers the evidence and leaves a receipt with the residents of the home.”
He concluded by indicating the evidence is brought back to the FBI for analysis and review. It’s usually held pending trial or returned to the owner if the case falls apart for whatever reason.
FBI agents exit the home of Ryan Routh, the man accused of an apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Kaaawa, Hawaii.
Audrey McAvoy/AP Photo
Who is Ryan Routh?
Routh spent most of his adult life in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he had multiple run-ins with the law over the years in Guilford County. These included a 2002 felony conviction for possessing a weapon of mass destruction and a 2010 felony for stolen goods. His record also includes numerous misdemeanors.
Routh stayed clear of legal issues for a short period of time before moving to Hawaii.
Routh appears to have spent most of his adult life in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he had multiple run-ins with the law over the years in Guilford County.
Guilford County Sheriff’s Office
In 2018, when he relocated to the small town of Kaaawa, Hawaii, approximately 45 minutes from Honolulu. There, he partnered with his adult son to start a business constructing small wooden sheds. According to his LinkedIn page, the goal was to address the high homelessness rate in the U.S. resulting from severe gentrification.
He has also demonstrated extensive support for Ukraine during the ongoing conflict with Russia.
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