The man accused of attempted murder supported Trump but did not like Biden

SANDUSKY, Ohio — An Army veteran from Sandusky said he had contact in Ukraine with the man now accused of plotting to assassinate former President Trump.

Terry Burton, 47, said Ryan Routh was mentally unstable from the start, made strange claims and did not understand how to help the Ukrainians.

Burton said after hearing about Russian President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, he knew he had to be there, even though he has no real ties to the country.

“You very rarely get the chance in life to be on that side of absolute justice,” Burton said. “I like to say it started with me helping in the Ukraine war, but when I got there and met the people, it became my war.”

He told us that he traveled to Kyiv in late March 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion.

Burton documented his time in the war while writing for The Sandusky Register.

He said he met Routh in Kyiv.

“Every conversation was about how angry he was about Biden’s victory”

“It was clear at first glance that he wasn’t exactly what they were looking for,” Burton said. “He really wasn’t what any volunteer group was looking for.”

Burton said Routh told him he had no military experience and had never fired a gun but wanted to join. Burton said Routh said he knew of 3,000 Afghan Taliban and Syrian ISIS soldiers trained by NATO who could join the Ukrainian fight, which Burton found odd.

He also questioned Routh’s clothing.

“When I first met him, he was wearing an American flag as a cape. He was wearing a T-shirt with the American flag and baggy pants with the American flag,” Burton said, adding that Routh sometimes carried a pro-Trump flag.

“Every conversation was about Donald Trump. Every conversation was about how upset he was that Biden won,” Burton said of Routh. “He mentioned January 6th. He wished he had been there. That was a new American revolution.”

Burton told us that Routh shouted “USA” in the streets and that people should thank him personally because the USA saved Europe in World War II. Burton said that there was a Russian bounty on American volunteers in Ukraine.

“And his drawing attention to the Americans in that area was not tactically wise,” Burton said.

He told us that at some point Routh’s actions escalated into a physical altercation.

In 2023, Burton said, he returned to Kyiv and Routh approached him as if they were long-lost friends.

“He now has about 100,000 Afghan soldiers, Taliban soldiers and ISIS soldiers deployed who were ready. They were loyal to him. He could have led an entire division,” Burton said.

“This mentally ill person I dealt with in Ukraine just tried to assassinate the former president”

When Burton heard the recent reports that Routh was now accused of trying to shoot the former president, he was surprised.

“It was a little surreal,” Burton said. “It was like, wow. This mentally ill person I was dealing with in Ukraine just tried to assassinate the former president.”

Burton wants people to know that Routh does not represent the people who stand arm in arm with Ukraine.

“This is someone who was a pariah to those of us who helped in any capacity,” Burton said. “This is not the norm.”

Shortly before our conversation with Burton, he told us that he had just returned from an FBI interview at the Erie County Sheriff’s Department to tell the agents about his experience with Routh.

Burton said he himself is currently part of a humanitarian mission to Ukraine to bring the people the relief supplies they need.

Routh was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

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