A former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) targeter who is now an investigator and author has shared that numerous humanitarian advocates helping Ukraine against the Russian invasion expressed concern last year regarding ongoing criminal behavior by Ryan Routh, the man who attempted to assassinate President Trump on September 15, 2024. Routh’s alleged behavior was so troubling that it was purportedly shared with the U.S. Department of State.
In information shared with Townhall.com, Sarah Adams, a former CIA targeter and intelligence analyst, shared a Be On The Lookout warning (BOLO) from June 2, 2023 warning of criminal activities by Ryan Routh. The information in Ms. Adams’ BOLO was, according to her, even reported to the U.S. government, specifically the Department of State.
The BOLO is partially reprinted below:
"📢 Important Announcement 📢 🚫 BOLO 🚫
"Beware of American Ryan Routh. Reports indicate that he is leading a human trafficking scheme. He is instructing Afghans to travel illegally to Iran with the promise they will link up eventually with the Ukrainian legion to fight. This is a fraud as NO official pathway exists for this from the Ukrainian Government for our allies in Afghanistan. Also, despite promised funding support it has not come to fruition and he has abandoned Afghans illegally in Iran.
"Stay vigilant from these fraudsters and feel free to copy this to spread the word! hashtag#StaySafe 🚫🛂 "
Ms. Adams was author of the BOLO, which was sent out to a number of humanitarian groups connected to helping Ukrainians after the Russian reinvasion of February 24, 2022, as well as groups assisting Afghans who had previously assisted the United States during the 20-year War in Afghanistan.
Ms. Adams’ BOLO continued and shared Routh’s website, social media that included a LinkedIn page as well as then Twitter/now X account, and his regular phone number, that Routh apparently used across various platforms to include Signal, WhatsApp and Viber. (Townhall has specifically omitted this information)
The BOLO was received and Mr. Routh was known to be ostracized by several leaders in the Ukrainian humanitarian community.
At the time of the BOLO, Ms. Adams was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Ukraine NGO Coordination Network (UNCN), an umbrella organization for many groups attempting to assist Ukraine with humanitarian aid amid that nation’s defense against the Russian invasion. Many members of this community were veterans helping to assist Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
Prior to the BOLO, and after her tenure at the CIA, Ms. Adams worked as the Senior Advisor to the United States House Select Committee on Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi. In October 2022, she co-authored a book, Benghazi: Know Thy Enemy, exposing failures surrounding the September 11, 2012, al Qaeda attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others and served as a source of controversy to the tenure of then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Ms. Adams’ BOLO highlighting potential criminal behavior by Ryan Routh raises several issues. The ability of various humanitarian groups on Signal and elsewhere to self-regulate and weed out bad actors stand in apparent contrast with the question of how much was known, especially by official entities, regarding Routh before Sunday’s assassination attempt. In light Routh’s previous arrests, especially for weapons violations, the 2023 BOLO warning may have extra veracity.
Also, the wide reach of the BOLO across several groups and the information contained therein are at contrast with the picture painted by Routh’s son that he never saw any troubling behavior by his father before Sunday’s events, raising the question of how proficient Routh was at concealing behavior that was deeply troubling enough for non-family members to put out a BOLO on him. Finally, given Routh’s somewhat wide social media presence in certain circles, albeit with a less than savory reputation, it is currently unknown if he communicated his assassination intention towards President Trump with anyone.
These are questions law enforcement and others will inevitably tackle in the days ahead.
*Views expressed in this article are those of the author and not any government agency.