Trump’s Would-Be Shooter Was on Homeland Security’s Radar in 2022,

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Customs and Border Patrol officials referred suspect Ryan Routh to Homeland Security Investigations, but no action was taken, an official said on Capitol Hill.

The man arrested in connection with a second assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump was flagged by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) two years ago, but Homeland Security investigators took no immediate action, according to testimony on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

CBP was warned about Ryan Routh, Trump’s alleged would-be assassin, who began recruiting foreign fighters for Ukraine overseas, according to Sept. 18 testimony from Katrina Berger, executive associate director for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

She confirmed during a Capital Hill hearing Wednesday that CBP received information about Routh’s erratic behavior in 2022 but did not take him into custody and could not confirm he was investigated.

Routh, 58, of Hawaii, was arrested Sept. 15 after a witness took pictures of his vehicle as he fled from Trump’s golf course and sent them to law enforcement. Secret Service agents had opened fire on Routh after they spotted a rifle barrel poking through a shrub-lined fence at a West Palm Beach club where Trump was golfing that day.

Berger appeared before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance for a hearing titled: “Oversight of Homeland Security Investigations.”

Berger confirmed a news report, referring to the Wall Street Journal, that described Routh as a freedom fighter returning from Ukraine whose behavior was brought to the attention of authorities, including HSI.

In the article, people who were interviewed claimed Routh was dangerous and made threats while in Ukraine to kill foreign leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un.

“Based on the information that I read, there would not have been any reason to immediately take him into custody,” Berger told the committee.

“He had not made any threats” against Trump, she added in response to questions from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).

Gaetz, citing a CBP memo to HSI about Routh, said Routh had traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, for three months to help recruit fighters from Afghanistan, Moldova, and Taiwan in the Ukrainian war against Russia.

Routh moved to Hawaii in 2018 and launched Camp Box Honolulu, a company that builds tiny houses and sheds. He was in North Carolina earlier this year where he voted in the 2024 Democratic primary.

In 2022, he volunteered to recruit people to fight for Ukraine. His wife gave him money to help fund the trips, Gaetz said.

“What I believe happened is HSI declined not only to incarcerate this person but to further investigate the person,” Gaetz said.

Berger could not immediately verify if HSI investigated Routh.

“I would have to look into that a little bit further, so I’ll get back to you,” Berger said.

Berger verified that four HSI agents were at the golf course when the suspect was spotted.

HSI had 16 agents present during the previous assassination attempt against Trump at a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he narrowly escaped death after a sniper’s bullet nicked his ear.

The shooter, 20-year-old Matthew Crooks, killed one Trump supporter and wounded two others before a Secret Service sniper shot and killed him.

Both incidents highlight security lapses and concerns surrounding the 45th U.S. president.

A bipartisan U.S. Senate committee is investigating Trump’s attempted assassination in Butler. The committee plans to issue an interim report by the end of the month.

Questions surround how a lone assailant could climb on a roof in broad daylight and fire eight shots from an AR-style rifle at Trump, who hopes to regain the White House in November.

The Sept. 15 attempt has also raised concerns on how Routh allegedly staked out the golf course for 12 hours before Trump appeared. Trump’s visit to the golf course was an “off-the-record movement,” meaning it wasn’t on his official schedule that day. The spur-of-the-moment event implies agents may not have had much time to prepare for his outing.

Routh did not fire at Trump, who was not in his line of sight, officials said.

Law enforcement was aware that there are spots along the perimeter of the golf course where golfers, including Trump, are visible to those standing behind the fence. When Trump was president, news photographers were often able to capture images of him on the greens by finding gaps in the shrubbery.

Routh said he regretted supporting Trump in 2016 in a self-published book “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War” in February 2023. In the book, he tells Iran, “You are free to assassinate Trump.”

The Associated Press, Samantha Flom, and Janice Hisle contributed to this report.