Suspected Trump assassination plotter has criminal history, ties to Ukraine war

An undated selfie shows Ryan W. Routh, a suspect identified by news organizations, as the FBI investigates what they said was an apparent assassination attempt in Florida on Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, in this image obtained from social media. Social Media/via REUTERS

(Reuters) -The erratic life of a struggling roofing contractor suspected of trying to shoot Donald Trump swerved from bounced checks to a gun felony conviction and a quixotic plan to help Ukraine fight Russia's invasion, before culminating in what appears to be a foiled assassination plot.

Ryan Routh, 58, was charged with two gun-related crimes in a federal court in Florida on Monday, a day after he was spotted with a rifle hiding in shrubbery on the property line of Trump's golf course. More charges are expected.