Ryan Routh charged with attempted assassination of Trump - AP
Photo: Ryan Routh, a suspect in the second Trump assassination attempt (screenshot from Newsweek video)
On Tuesday, Ryan Wesley Routh was charged with attempted murder of US presidential candidate Donald Trump. The incident in question occurred on September 15 of this year, according to Associated Press and Axios.
Ryan Wesley Routh faces two federal charges related to firearms. The new accusations, detailed in a five-count indictment, reflect the views of the Justice Department.
According to their findings, Routh methodically planned the assassination of the Republican candidate, aiming from a rifle into the bushes surrounding Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach on the day the former president was playing there. Prosecutors stated that Routh left behind a note outlining his intentions.
Court documents reveal that the case has been assigned to Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed federal judge, who gained notable attention for overseeing the criminal case against Trump regarding the illegal retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. In July, she dismissed that case, a decision that is currently being challenged by special counsel Jack Smith's team.
The attempted murder charge was addressed at a hearing on Monday, where prosecutors successfully argued for the 58-year-old Routh to remain in custody, citing concerns that he may flee from justice and pose a threat to public safety.
They contended that several months before his arrest on September 15, he wrote about his plans to kill Trump in a handwritten note, referring to his actions as an unsuccessful attempt on Donald Trump and offering $150,000 to anyone who could get the job done. This note was reportedly found in a box that Routh had discarded in the home of an unknown witness months before his arrest.
This individual discovered the letter, photographed the first page addressed "Dear World," and contacted law enforcement after the attempted attack.
Prosecutors also noted that Routh had kept a handwritten list in his car of locations where Trump had spoken or was scheduled to speak in August, September, and October.
The Associated Press reports that the charge of attempted murder against a major presidential candidate carries a potential life sentence if convicted. Other charges in the indictment include assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm to further a violent crime, and two preliminary firearm charges filed against him last week.
The potential shooting was averted when a Secret Service agent assigned to Trump noticed a partially concealed face and the barrel of a rifle protruding from behind a fence at the golf course, near where Trump was playing. The agent fired in Routh's direction, prompting him to flee, and he was subsequently apprehended by law enforcement in a neighboring county.
Officials stated that Routh did not fire any shots and did not have Trump in his line of sight; however, he left behind a digital camera, a backpack, a loaded SKS rifle with a scope, and a plastic food bag.
