KAAAWA, Hawaii: Ryan Wesley Routh portrayed himself online as a man who built housing for homeless people in Hawaii, tried to recruit fighters for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia, and described his support and then disdain for Donald Trump — even urging Iran to kill him.
“You are free to assassinate Trump,” Routh wrote of Iran in an apparently self-published book in 2023, “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” which described the former president as a “fool” and “buffoon” for both the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and the “tremendous blunder” of leaving the Iran nuclear deal.
Routh wrote that he once voted for Trump and must take part of the blame for the “child that we elected for our next president that ended up being brainless.”
Routh, 58, was arrested Sunday and charged Monday after authorities say he stalked the GOP presidential nominee as he golfed in West Palm Beach, Florida, with an AK-47-style rifle in an apparent assassination attempt thwarted by the Secret Service.
Through his voluminous online footprint, public records, news interviews and videos, a picture emerged of Routh as a man with a criminal past, plenty of outrage and views ranging from the left to the right, including support for Bernie Sanders, Tulsi Gabbard, Nikki Haley and Trump.
Voter records show he registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina in 2012, most recently voting in person during the state’s Democratic primary in March.
Routh also made 19 small donations totaling $140 since 2019 through ActBlue, a political action committee that distributes donations to Democratic candidates, according to federal campaign finance records.
In a tweet in June 2020, after the police killing of George Floyd, Routh said then-President Trump could win reelection by issuing an executive order to prosecute police misconduct. However, in recent years, his posts appear to have soured on Trump, and he expressed support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee.
“DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose,” he wrote on X in April in support of Biden.
In July, following the assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, a post on Routh’s account urged Biden and Harris to visit those wounded in the shooting and attend the funeral of the firefighter who was killed.
“Trump will never do anything for them,” Routh wrote.
In his book, listed on Amazon and viewed by the AP, Routh noted: “I get so tired of people asking me if I am a Democrat or Republican as I refuse to be put in a category.”
The world would be better if it were run by women, he wrote in the book that has links to his website and X account, because “it seems that the totality of the world’s problems revolve around men with massive insecurity and childlike intelligence and behavior.”
He posted frequently on social media about Ukraine and other conflicts, and had a website seeking to raise money and recruit volunteers to fight for Kyiv. A photo of the wiry, wild-haired Routh on his site shows him smiling, wearing a T-shirt and jacket adorned with US flags.
“This is about good versus evil,” Routh said in a video circulating online. And in a tweet, he said, “I am going to fight and die for Ukraine.”
Video shot by the AP showed Routh at a small demonstration in Kyiv’s Independence Square in April 2022, two months after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of the country.
A placard he was holding said: “We cannot tolerate corruption and evil for another 50+ years. End Russia for our kids.”
That same day, he also visited a makeshift memorial to “Foreigners killed by Putin.”
But Routh never served in the Ukrainian army or worked with its military, said Oleksandr Shahuri of the Foreigners Coordination Department of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Command.
Shahuri told AP that Routh periodically contacted the International Legion of Ukraine with what he described as “nonsensical ideas” that “can best be described as delusional.”
Routh appeared in a video standing in front of the US Capitol and expressing frustration that Ukraine wasn’t taking more of the Afghan commandos he tried to recruit.
“They’re afraid that anybody and everybody is a Russian spy,” he told news website Semafor in 2023.
Earlier this year, he even tweeted at singers Bruno Mars and Dave Matthews to organize a “We are the World”-style effort for Kyiv. “We need an emotional tribute song for Ukraine as support stalls,” he wrote. “I have lyrics and music.”
Routh also tweeted to former basketball star Dennis Rodman, asking for help lifting sanctions against North Korea to ease tension with the country. In another, he invites a dozen protesters in Hong Kong to stay at his Hawaii home to escape a Chinese crackdown.
Routh lived most of his life in Greensboro, North Carolina, where his run-ins with law enforcement included a 2002 felony conviction for possessing explosives, detonation cord and a blasting cap, according to court records.
The News & Record of Greensboro reported that the arrest came after Routh fled from a traffic stop and held off police for three hours with “a fully automatic machine gun” at a roofing business. State records listed him as the business owner.
Court records show authorities seized the explosives and an undefined number of firearms from Routh. As part of a plea deal, Routh agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation and comply with any treatment recommendations. The documents provided to the AP by the county clerk of court on Monday do not include the results of that evaluation.
Records also show Routh was convicted of a felony count of possession of stolen goods in 2010, as well as misdemeanors including illegally carrying a concealed weapon, a hit-and-run, speeding and driving with a revoked license.
Court records from the 2010 felony case say detectives determined Routh was storing stolen building supplies and other items at his roofing business warehouse, where he was living at the time. Money from the sale of the stolen goods was used to purchase crack cocaine, according to a police affidavit used to get a search warrant.
In both the felony cases, court records show judges sentenced Routh to either probation or a suspended sentence, allowing him to escape prison time.
It was not immediately clear how Routh was able to obtain a weapon. In most states, it is generally forbidden for a person convicted of a felony to purchase or possess a firearm.
In 2018, Routh moved to the small town of Kaaawa, Hawaii, about 45 minutes outside Honolulu, to go in business with his adult son building small wooden sheds. According to his LinkedIn page, the structures would “help address the highest homelessness rate in the United States due to unparalleled gentrification.”
“All of us are tired of seeing the homeless people all over the island with nowhere to go,” he told Honolulu’s Star-Advertiser in 2019.
No one answered the door Sunday at his blue stucco house near the beach that is colorfully painted with wooden cutouts of fish. A white pickup truck with a Biden-Harris bumper sticker and a flat tire was in the driveway.
Neighbor Christopher Tam said Routh kept to himself and was respectful, cordial and kind.
“It’s just been very surprising,” Tam said. “If he did have anything to do with it, it’s very shocking to us.”
Man who appeared intent on killing Trump wrote a book urging Iran to assassinate the ex-president
https://arab.news/ysmgc
Man who appeared intent on killing Trump wrote a book urging Iran to assassinate the ex-president
Militants kill ‘dozens’ of soldiers and civilians in Burkina Faso
The attack on the military base was on Tuesday claimed by the JNIM
ABIDJAN: Two militant attacks in northeastern Burkina Faso early this week killed “several dozens” of soldiers and civilians, two security sources and a local source told AFP on Friday.
In a “major” attack carried out on Monday, a military unit in the village of Dargo was targeted by “armed terrorist groups,” leaving “several dozens of deaths on each side,” one of the regional security sources said.
The other security source told AFP that militants waged a second attack on Monday, on a supply convoy going between the towns of Dori and Gorom-Gorom.
“In that ambush, several soldiers were killed, along with civilians, notably truck drivers transporting supplies,” said the source.
A manager in a road haulage company confirmed the convoy attack, and said that “some 20 drivers and their apprentices were killed.”
The attack on the military base was on Tuesday claimed by the JNIM, an armed Islamist militant group affiliated with Al-Qaeda that is active also in Mali and Niger. The group indicated it had killed 40 Burkinabe soldiers.
The JNIM has risen to become the most influential militant threat in the Sahel region, according to the United Nations.
Burkina Faso has been plagued by attacks by the JNIM and the Daesh group since 2015.
Wamaps, a group of West African journalists specializing in Sahel security issues, said the attack on the Dargo base was one of the deadliest attacks against Burkina’s military “in recent weeks.”
In a post on X, the Wamaps group cited local sources as saying that around 50 soldiers were killed.
In the convoy attack, “nearly 200 terrorists” from the Daesh group in the Sahel were believed to have taken part, the group said, adding that “some 15 escort soldiers were killed and more than 10 drivers executed.”
Bangladesh secures 20 percent US tariff for garments, exporters relieved
- The readymade garments sector is the backbone of Bangladesh’s economy, accounting for more than 80 percent of total export earnings, employing about 4 million workers, and contributing about 10 percent to gross domestic product
DHAKA, KARACHI, AHMEDABAD: Bangladesh has negotiated a 20 percent tariff on exports to the US, down from the 37 percent initially proposed by US President Donald Trump, bringing relief to exporters in the world’s second-largest garment supplier.
The new rate is in line with those offered to other major apparel-exporting countries such as Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Pakistan and Indonesia. India, which failed to reach a comprehensive agreement with Washington, will face a steeper 25 percent tariff.
Trump put steep tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners, including Canada, Brazil, India and Taiwan, ahead of a Friday trade deal deadline.
HIGHLIGHTS
• India faces higher 25 percent tariff on apparel shipments.
• Pakistani exporters cautious about impact of 19 percent tariff.
The outcome secured by Bangladesh — home to a $40 billion apparel export sector — reflects careful negotiation, said Khalilur Rahman, national security adviser and lead negotiator.
“Protecting our apparel industry was a top priority, but we also focused our purchase commitments on US agricultural products. This supports our food security goals and fosters goodwill with US farming states,” Rahman said. Muhammad Yunus, the head of the country’s interim government, called it a “decisive diplomatic victory.”
The readymade garments sector is the backbone of Bangladesh’s economy, accounting for more than 80 percent of total export earnings, employing about 4 million workers, and contributing about 10 percent to gross domestic product.
The prospect of higher US tariffs has rattled Bangladesh’s ready-made garments industry, which fears losing competitiveness in one of its largest markets.
“While the 20 percent tariff will cause some short-term pain, Bangladesh remains better positioned than many of its competitors,” said Mohiuddin Rubel, additional managing director at Denim Expert Ltd, which makes jeans and other items for brands including H&M.
Exporters in neighboring India said the relatively higher tariffs levied would hurt the country’s textile exports, as its competitors like Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia got lower tariffs.
“We are hoping that the tariffs will be rationalized. We will have to recalibrate our strategies depending on the final tariff imposed, said Chintan Thakker, chairman of industry body ASSOCHAM in the state of Gujarat, a major apparel exporter.
’Devil will be in the details’
Pakistan, which exported about $4.1 billion worth of apparel to the US in the 2024 fiscal year, secured a tariff rate of 19 percent, but industry figures were cautious about the immediate impact.
“Considering India’s lower production costs and the likelihood of it negotiating reduced tariffs in the near term, Pakistan is unlikely to either gain or lose a meaningful share in the apparel segment,” Musadaq Zulqarnain, founder and chair of Interloop Limited — a leading Pakistani exporter.
“If the current reciprocal tariff structure holds, significant investment is likely to flow into DR-CAFTA countries and Egypt,” he said, referring to a trade agreement between the US and a group of Caribbean and Central American countries.
Elsewhere in South Asia, Sri Lanka also secured a 20 percent tariff rate from the US, which accounted for 40 percent of its apparel exports of $4.8 billion last year.
“The devil will be in the details as there are questions over issues such as trans-shipment, but overall it’s mostly good,” Yohan Lawrence, secretary general of the Joint Apparel Associations Forum, a Sri Lankan industry body, told Reuters.
Colombia ex-president sentenced to 12 years of house arrest, document shows
- Uribe was convicted of the two charges on Monday by Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia
- Uribe will be fined $578,000 in the case, the document showed
BOGOTA: Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will be sentenced on Friday to 12 years of house arrest for abuse of process and bribery of a public official, according to a document seen by Reuters and a source with knowledge of the matter.
Uribe was convicted of the two charges on Monday by Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia in a witness-tampering case that has run for about 13 years. He has always maintained his innocence.
The information, also published by local media, came hours ahead of the hearing where Heredia will read the sentence in court.
Uribe will be fined $578,000 in the case, the document showed.
The conviction made him the country’s first ex-president to ever be found guilty at trial and came less than a year before Colombia’s 2026 presidential election, in which several of Uribe’s allies and proteges are competing for top office.
It could also have implications for Colombia’s relationship with the US: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week Uribe’s conviction is a “weaponization of Colombia’s judicial branch by radical judges” and analysts have said there could be cuts to US aid in response.
Uribe, 73, and his supporters have always said the process is a persecution, while his detractors have celebrated it as deserved comeuppance for a man who has been accused for decades of close ties with violent right-wing paramilitaries but never convicted of any crime until now.
Angola unrest death toll rises to 30
- The police did not say what caused the deaths but civil society groups and opposition parties blamed the security forces
- Lourenco said “law enforcement acted within the framework of their obligations and therefore the order was promptly restored“
LUANDA: Angolan President Joao Lourenco praised security forces Friday for quelling unrest that claimed 30 lives over two days but rights groups accused them of killing “defenseless people.”
Dozens of shops and warehouses in Luanda were looted and vehicles attacked on Monday and Tuesday when a strike against a fuel price hike descended into some of the worst violence in the oil-rich country in years.
The unrest spread to several provinces and police said that by late Thursday they had confirmed 30 deaths, including of a police officer, with more than 270 people injured, among them 10 members of the defense and security forces.
The police did not say what caused the deaths but civil society groups and opposition parties blamed the security forces, who are regularly accused of using excessive force against demonstrators.
In his first public comment on the situation, Lourenco said “law enforcement acted within the framework of their obligations and therefore the order was promptly restored.”
“We send our thanks to the law enforcement, the justice authorities, the health professionals...,” he said.
More than 1,500 people were arrested, 118 businesses vandalized and 24 public buses attacked, according to police.
“We strongly condemn such criminal acts, we regret the loss of human lives...,” the president said, announcing the government would help looted businesses to replenish their stocks.
Lourenco, from the MPLA party in power since independence from Portugal in 1975, made no mention of the July 1 hike in heavily subsidised fuel prices that has led to a series of demonstrations in a country with a high level of poverty despite its vast oil wealth.
The state is “doing its best” to address Angola’s social problems, he said, citing investments in health, education, housing and job creation.
Opposition and civic groups also condemned the vandalism but accused security forces of using excessive force.
The looting reflects “the hunger and extreme poverty affecting the majority of Angolans,” said the Human Rights Monitoring Working Group of various NGOs late Thursday.
The “legitimate expressions of the population’s indignation should not be used as justification to kill defenseless people,” it said.
The platform urged Lourenco to order the security forces to “refrain from killing defenseless people” and create an independent commission to investigate the killings as well as compensation for the families of the victims.
Details of some of the people killed in the unrest have circulated on social media, with the case of Silvia Mubiala, a mother of six children allegedly shot and killed by police while trying to protect her son in Luanda, causing particular outrage.
Bosnian Serb leader Dodik vows to defy political ban, write to Trump
- “I do not accept the verdict,” he told reporters
- “I will seek help from Russia and I will write a letter to the US administration“
SARAJEVO: The separatist president of the Serb part of Bosnia vowed to defy a court ruling banning him from political office for six years on Friday and said he would seek help from both Russia and US President Donald Trump.
Milorad Dodik was responding to a ruling by Bosnia’s appeals court upholding a sentence handed down to him for defying the orders of the international peace envoy, whose role is to prevent multi-ethnic Bosnia sliding back into civil war.
Dodik told reporters he would continue to go to work.
“I do not accept the verdict,” he told reporters. “I will seek help from Russia and I will write a letter to the US administration.”
He said he would ask his associates not to communicate with ambassadors from the European Union, which has a peacekeeping force in Bosnia to ensure stability that has deployed reserve forces over the crisis.
The sentence, handed down to Dodik in February for defying the Constitutional Court as well as the peace envoy, included a one-year prison term that under Bosnia’s legal system can possibly be exchanged for a fine.
His lawyer Goran Bubic said his team would appeal Friday’s appeals court ruling to the Constitutional Court and seek a temporary delay of the implementation of the verdict pending its decision.
Dodik’s conviction in February sparked uproar in Bosnia’s autonomous Serb Republic, triggering Bosnia’s worst political crisis since the conflict, which killed around 100,000 people in 1992-5.
A pro-Russian nationalist who seeks to split his region from Bosnia, Dodik responded with measures to reduce the state’s presence in the Serb Republic by ordering lawmakers to ban the state’s prosecutor, court, and intelligence agency.
The constitutional court then temporarily suspended the regional parliament’s legislation as endangering the constitutional and legal order and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the formal name of the country.
Dodik is a long-time advocate of the secession of the Serb-dominated region, which along with the Bosniak-Croat Federation makes up Bosnia. The crisis precipitated by his separatist push represents one of the biggest threats to peace in the Balkans since the conflicts that followed Yugoslavia’s collapse.
