Ryan Routh, the man behind a plot to kill President Donald Trump, allegedly sought out an “anti-aircraft weapon” for use in his September assassination plan in Florida, according to a new filing from the Department of Justice.

Secret Service agents found Routh hiding with a rifle at Trump’s International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, 2024. The agents caught Routh and the then-Republican nominee Trump was not harmed in the incident. Routh was later arrested the same day in Martin County.

A Monday filing entered new evidence in the case against Routh and alleged he sought a rocket launcher to use against Trump.

“Send me an rpg [rocket propelled grenade] or stinger and I will see what we can do,” Routh allegedly texted an individual he believed to be a Ukrainian arms dealer. “[Trump] is not good for Ukraine.

“I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected.”

The DOJ described the messages as a “substantial step” in Routh’s plan to kill Trump.

“Attempting to purchase a destructive device to blow up President Trump’s airplane lies squarely within the realm of an attempt on his life, and Routh’s statements about the purpose of the purchase — that he ‘need[s] equipment so that Trump cannot get elected’ — drives home his intent,” the document reads.

Routh, according to the filing, had prior felony convictions for possessing a weapon of mass destruction. This, prosecutors wrote, shows that Routh had the ability to execute his plan.

“The WMD conviction not only shows Routh’s comfort with devices that may cause death or grave injury, but also shows that he was indeed capable of intending to do the extraordinary,” the document reads. “A prior conviction for possessing a weapon of mass death and destruction — as dynamite would — supports the idea that he was perfectly fine with the idea of committing an act of extreme violence in public causing massive public consequences.”

Routh has pleaded not guilty to the following charges, according to Fox News:

Attempted assassination of a presidential candidate;

Possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence;

Assaulting a federal officer;

A felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition;

Possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

He was later charged with another felony attempted murder charge, with prosecutors saying he was responsible for an accident that almost killed a child when police shut down traffic after Routh fled the scene. His trial is scheduled to begin in September, roughly a year after the alleged assassination attempt.

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