nothing There is evidence that the man accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Sunday fought in Ukraine, sources said, even though he traveled there and tried to contact a variety of officials and aid workers. Rolling Stone.
During his time in Ukraine, the suspect routinely presented himself as a military conscript and claimed to belong to an official unit of foreign soldiers, according to multiple interviews he gave to journalists working in the country.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, has been named by law enforcement as the suspect arrested in what FBI officials say “appears to be an attempted assassination” at a golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
A Secret Service agent traveling in front of Trump’s golf course motorcade noticed a rifle barrel sticking out of the bushes, Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said at a news conference. The agent shot the suspect, who fled in a black Nissan that was later intercepted by law enforcement after a witness provided photos of the vehicle. The witness later identified the arrested driver as the suspected gunman, Bradshaw said.
Law enforcement provided photos of a semi-automatic rifle resembling an AK-47 that was found at the scene, along with two backpacks and a GoPro camera. Roth was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with a serial number that had been erased.
Multiple news outlets report that Routh has a long criminal history, including an arrest for possession of a fully automatic weapon in 2002 and more than 100 charges in North Carolina.
Roth has also previously spoken to a number of news organizations – including The New York Times Russian media reported on his alleged efforts to help Ukraine. Some media reported that he claimed to have been a “fighter” in Ukraine, specifically naming him as the head of the International Volunteer Center (IVC), a non-profit organization based in Lviv that provides assistance to foreign volunteers.
“Roth is not affiliated with IVC. He is not a member of our organization,” said Ian Nitbesky, who runs the aid group. Rolling Stone“I am the founder. I lead IVC. There are two other founders. This person is not one of them.”
Rolling Stone I reviewed numerous photos and documents dating back to before Sunday’s incident that identified the IVC leadership structure and key contacts, provided by third parties who interacted with the group. Roth’s name does not appear in any of these photos and documents.
Netupsky acknowledges that it is possible that Routh was among the hundreds of volunteers who contacted IVC at some point, but believes that Routh simply lied to reporters about his work with the group or was referring to an unregistered organization of the same name.
“There are three ways someone can be connected to us: help with a D-10 visa, which requires a letter of invitation from an established aid organization; help us facilitate a temporary residence permit; or find opportunities with NGOs and other nonprofits based on the volunteer’s skills and the organization’s requirements,” Nitbesky says, adding that his group did none of these things for Ruth.
Roth regularly tweeted about Ukraine, tagging everyone from singer Elton John to former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard with wacky schemes — like teaming up with Sean Penn to buy a MiG-29 from Poland to strike Russian President Vladimir Putin, or advising Belarusian dissidents to buy sniper rifles from Amazon to overthrow the government. Roth’s account has since been suspended, but several sites have been able to grab screenshots of many of his posts.
He once invited the Dave Matthews Band to perform a song for Ukraine, writing to the band in December of last year: “We need a passionate tribute song for Ukraine as a support stand. I have lyrics and music for We Are One to rally worldwide support. Please help me… I live near [singer-songwriter] Jack Johnson I'm sure will help.
Roth traveled from Hawaii to Ukraine in 2022, according to people who met him there, but admitted on Twitter before the trip that he had no military experience and was unsure what he would do when he arrived.
During his time in Ukraine, Roth was known for his erratic behavior and frequent attempts to attract the attention of officials. At one point, he began posing as an official military recruit, setting up a public booth in central Kiev.
“He was just hanging out in the field.” [Square] “Roth was a very emotional man, and he connected with anyone who listened to him or talked to him,” says Guillaume Ptak, a Kyiv-based freelance journalist who recorded an interview with Roth in June 2022. “It was clear that the man was very emotional and tearful. I found him a bit eccentric.”
Known Volunteers Rolling Stone A senior State Department official associated with an official foreign fighter unit, the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine, began publicly raising red flags about Roth over the summer: “Warning about Ryan Roth: He is not, and has never been, associated with the International Legion or the Armed Forces of Ukraine… He misrepresents himself and lies to many people.”
The Ukrainian military denied any connection to Roth.
“US citizen Ryan Roth never served in the International Corps of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, [and] “It has no connection to the unit, and the rumors that have spread in some media outlets are incorrect,” the International Corps' Defense Intelligence Unit wrote in an official statement.
As of Monday, Rolling Stone He was unable to identify any humanitarian organization that could confirm that Roth worked for them, nor any military unit that claimed to belong to him.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, thousands of foreigners have flocked to Ukraine to join the war, either as military volunteers, humanitarian aid workers, or in other capacities. Many have provided essential skills, and dozens have been killed while doing relief work or fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.
There have also been a number of foreigners who have misrepresented their military service or volunteer work in Ukraine, often for personal gain. There is no hard data on how many foreigners lie about what they are doing in Ukraine as part of scams, frauds or because of mental health issues, but based on this reporter’s observations over two and a half years, the number is significant. “Crazy volunteer” has become a kind of shorthand for “one to avoid” among professional aid workers, officials and journalists in the country.
Conflicts often become magnets for adrenaline junkies, extreme tourists, scammers, and lost souls. Early in the war, several media outlets reported on how the western Ukrainian city of Lviv had become like Casablanca – The 1942 film version, not the rough commercial port of Morocco – but one experienced photographer viewed the environment of foreigners arriving without apparent purpose with disdain: “It's become like that damned bar in star wars“.”
The influx of Americans, whether philanthropists, non-philanthropists or anything in between, has been noticeable enough that early in April 2022, after a difficult interaction with a group of English-speaking foreigners, a waiter at a coffee shop this reporter frequents threw up his hands in despair and asked a question heard in many countries, all too often: “Why are there so many of you Americans here?”
