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Philippines to File Protest With China over South China Sea Air Incident

File photo of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel seen patrolling in the South China Sea. (AP)
File photo of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel seen patrolling in the South China Sea. (AP)
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Philippines to File Protest With China over South China Sea Air Incident

File photo of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel seen patrolling in the South China Sea. (AP)
File photo of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel seen patrolling in the South China Sea. (AP)

The Philippines will file a diplomatic protest with China over a recent incident involving Air Force planes in airspace over a South China Sea shoal, Manila's Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said on Monday.
The Southeast Asian nation will continue maritime patrols in South China Sea despite the "dangerous and provocative" actions of China's Air Force last week, military chief Romeo Brawner told reporters.
The Philippines' military has complained of dangerous actions by two Chinese aircraft that dropped flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force aircraft conducting a routine patrol over the Scarborough Shoal on Aug. 8, reported Reuters.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said he hoped China would comply with international law and on the need to de-escalate tensions.
On Sunday, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos said China's actions were "
unjustified, illegal and reckless".
China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Saturday, Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army said the Philippine aircraft had illegally intruded despite repeated warnings.

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Ryan Routh, Reported Suspect in Trump Assassination Attempt, Backed Ukraine in War

This screengrab taken from AFPTV on September 16, 2024 shows Ryan Wesley Routh speaking during an interview at a rally to urge foreign leaders and international organizations to help provide humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and Ukrainian servicemen from Mariupol in central Kyiv on April 27, 2022, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (AFPTV / AFP)
This screengrab taken from AFPTV on September 16, 2024 shows Ryan Wesley Routh speaking during an interview at a rally to urge foreign leaders and international organizations to help provide humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and Ukrainian servicemen from Mariupol in central Kyiv on April 27, 2022, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (AFPTV / AFP)
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Ryan Routh, Reported Suspect in Trump Assassination Attempt, Backed Ukraine in War

This screengrab taken from AFPTV on September 16, 2024 shows Ryan Wesley Routh speaking during an interview at a rally to urge foreign leaders and international organizations to help provide humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and Ukrainian servicemen from Mariupol in central Kyiv on April 27, 2022, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (AFPTV / AFP)
This screengrab taken from AFPTV on September 16, 2024 shows Ryan Wesley Routh speaking during an interview at a rally to urge foreign leaders and international organizations to help provide humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and Ukrainian servicemen from Mariupol in central Kyiv on April 27, 2022, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (AFPTV / AFP)

Ryan Routh, the reported suspect in an apparent assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Sunday, stayed in Kyiv in the summer of 2022 to encourage people to fight for Ukraine, he told a news outlet that year.

CNN, Fox News and The New York Times identified Routh, 58, of Hawaii, as the suspect citing unidentified law enforcement officials. The FBI declined to comment and Reuters could not independently verify his identity.

"A lot of the other conflicts are grey but this conflict is definitely black and white. This is about good versus evil," Routh said in an interview posted by Newsweek Romania in June 2022. His comments suggested he was in Kyiv at the time.

Some four months into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Routh perceived the war to be at a critical juncture and called for more international support.

When asked about what he was doing in Ukraine, Routh said his initial goal was to come to fight but after the plan did not work out, because his age and lack of military experience meant he was not accepted, he turned to promoting the cause to others.

"If the governments will not send their official military, then we, civilians, have to pick up the torch and make this thing happen and we have gotten some wonderful people here, but it is a small fraction of the number that should be here," Routh said.

Reuters could not independently verify his assertions.

Hundreds of non-Ukrainians have been fighting against Russian forces in Ukraine and others have played a role in trying to recruit them.

RECRUITMENT EFFORTS

The International Legion, where many of the fighters serve, said it had no links with Routh.

"We would like to clarify that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity," the group told Reuters. "Any claims or suggestions indicating otherwise are entirely inaccurate."

Routh also told the Semafor news outlet in March, 2023 that he had been trying to recruit US-trained Afghan fighters to fight for Ukraine against Russia but that the defense ministry in Kyiv had not agreed to issue visas to them.

An official source in Kyiv said authorities were looking into his role, if any, in Ukraine. The defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his assertions.

The Semafor article identified Routh as the head of the International Volunteer Center, which it said helped foreigners wanting to support Ukraine through military and humanitarian means.

Reuters contacted a Ukraine aid group with the same name, and its founder, Ian Netupsky, said Routh did not have any connection with his NGO. He added that there could be another unregistered group or organization using the same name.