Who is Ryan Routh, Donald Trump’s would-be assassin?

Mr Routh has been charged with two violations of federal gun laws and he could serve up to 20 years in prison. He already has a criminal record, including a conviction in North Carolina in 2002 for possessing a machine gun. His motive for the would-be attack on Mr Trump remains unclear. But unlike Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who was killed while attempting to gun down Mr Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania in July, Mr Routh’s biography and political opinions can be divined from the public record. Social-media profiles and a self-published e-book (available for $2.99 online) paint a picture of a man with changeable political opinions, hatred for Mr Trump, a predilection for violence and profound naivety about what it takes to influence geopolitics.