Ryan Wesley Routh has never served in the Ukrainian army nor collaborated with the military in any capacity, according to Oleksandr Shahuri, a representative officer of the Foreigners Coordination Department of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Command.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, Routh has periodically contacted the international legion with what Shahuri described as “nonsensical ideas.” His plans and ideas can best be described as delusional.”

Shahuri, speaking to The Associated Press, firmly denied any connection to Routh. The International Legion of Ukraine was created shortly after the outbreak of the war by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It consists of foreign citizens “wishing to join the resistance against the Russian occupants and fight for global security,” according to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.

Zelenskyy released a statement on X regarding the apparent assassination attempt: “I am glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe and unharmed. My best wishes to him and his family. It’s good that the suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly. This is our principle: the rule of law is paramount and political violence has no place anywhere in the world. We sincerely hope that everyone remains safe.”

Records show Routh, 58, lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving to Kaaawa, Hawaii, in 2018. There, he and his son operated a company building sheds, according to an archived version of the webpage for the business.

Routh frequently posted on social media about the war in Ukraine and had a website where he sought to raise money and recruit volunteers to go to Kyiv to join the fight against the Russian invasion. A photo of Routh posted on the webpage shows him smiling, wearing a T-shirt and jacket adorned with American flags.

In June 2020, he made a post on X that asked then-President Trump to win reelection by issuing an executive order directing the Department of Justice to prosecute police misconduct.

That year, he also posted in support of the Democratic presidential campaign of then-U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who has since shifted her support to Trump.

However, in recent years, his posts appear to have soured on Trump and expressed support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

In July, following the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania, Routh urged Biden and Harris to visit those wounded in the shooting at the hospital and attend the funeral of a fireman killed at the rally.

“Trump will never do anything for them .... show the world what compassion and humanity is all about,” said a post on Routh’s feed, apparently addressing Harris.

Voter registration records show he registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina in 2012, most recently voting in-person during the state’s Democratic Party primary in March 2024.

Routh also made 19 small pollical donations totaling $140 since 2019 using his Hawaii address to ActBlue, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates, according to the federal campaign finance records.

▶ Read more on what to know about the apparent Trump assassination attempt

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Trump was the sitting president, but because he’s not, “security is limited to the areas that the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”

“I would imagine that the next time he comes to the golf course, there will probably be a little more people around the perimeter, Bradshaw said. “But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done, they provided exactly what the protection should have been and their agent did a fantastic job.”

Former presidents and their spouses have Secret Service protection for life, but the security posture around former presidents varies depending on threat levels and exposure, with the toughest typically being in the immediate aftermath of their leaving office.

Trump’s protective detail has been higher than some of his peers because of his high visibility and his campaign to seek the White House again. His security was bolstered days before the July assassination attempt in Pennsylvania because of a threat on Trump’s life from Iran, U.S. officials said.

Fox News host Sean Hannity, a close friend of the former president, said on air that he spoke with both Trump and his golf partner, Steve Witkoff, after the incident.

They told Hannity that they had been on the fifth hole and about to go up to putt when they heard a “pop, pop, pop, pop.” Within seconds, he said Witkoff recounted, U.S. Secret Service agents “pounced on” Trump and “covered him” to protect him.

Moments later, he said a “fast cart” with steel reinforcement and other protection was able to whisk Trump away.

Hannity said Trump’s reaction after this happened — and when it was clear everyone, including Witkoff, was safe — was to quip that he was sad he hadn’t been able to finish the hole since he “was even and had a birdie putt.”

News reporters were not with Trump on Sunday. Bucking tradition, Trump’s campaign has not arranged to have a protective pool of reporters travel with him, as is standard for major party nominees and for the office of the president.

A traveling pool of reporters, who rotate in and represent the broader news media, is designed to ensure there is independent and speedy information getting out to the public about the candidate or the president’s happenings and whereabouts, especially in the case of an emergency.

In July, when Secret Service agents whisked Trump away from his rally after surviving a gunman’s assassination attempt, no pool of reporters was taken with him.

Trump’s campaign did not release any information about the former president or his condition for over two hours after releasing an initial statement saying he was fine and being checked out at a medical facility.

Donald Trump was safe after gunshots were reported in his vicinity Sunday afternoon in Florida, his campaign and the Secret Service said.

It was not immediately clear whether the reported shots were targeted at the Republican presidential nominee.

The U.S. Secret Service said it was investigating and that the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. “The former president is safe,” according to the Secret Service.

Roughly two months ago, Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.

Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser.

The campaign did not immediately provide any additional details.

No injuries were reported, according to a spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, had both been briefed and would be kept updated on the investigation. The White House added they were “relieved” to know Trump is safe.

A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation said officials were trying to determine whether the shots were fired near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course or on the grounds. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Trump often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, one of three he owns in the state.

Trump has had a stepped-up security footprint since the assassination attempt in July. When he has been at Trump Tower in New York, a lineup of dump trucks have parked in a wall outside the building. And at outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind an enclosure of bulletproof glass.

A message sent to campaign officials seeking information on the security status and location of Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, was not immediately returned.

Max Egusquiza, of Palm Beach, described the emergency response outside Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course.

“From what I saw 5 black unmarked SUVs blocked in a grey Mercedes in front of the golf course. There were about 20 or more cop cars flying from nearby streets,” he said.