Current:Home > NewsMan charged with attempting to assassinate Trump will appear in court -VitalWealth Strategies
Man charged with attempting to assassinate Trump will appear in court
View
Date:2025-04-16 09:59:56
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course will appear in court on Monday after being indicted on additional charges.
Ryan Wesley Routh is expected to be arraigned in federal court in West Palm Beach on an indictment brought last week charging him with attempted assassination and gun offenses.
The second attempt on Trump’s life was thwarted when a member of his Secret Service protective detail spotted Routh’s rifle barrel protruding through the golf course fence line, ahead of where Trump was playing, authorities have said. The agent fired in the direction of Routh, who sped away and was arrested in a neighboring county.
Routh did not fire any rounds and did not have Trump in his line of sight, officials have said. He left behind a digital camera, a backpack, a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope and a plastic bag containing food.
Prosecutors have said that he had written of his plans to kill Trump in a handwritten note months before his Sept. 15 arrest in which he referred to his actions as a failed “assassination attempt on Donald Trump” and offered $150,000 for anyone who could “finish the job.” That note was in a box that Routh had apparently dropped off at the home of an unidentified witness months before his arrest.
Monday’s hearing will be held before a magistrate judge, according to the case docket. But further proceedings will be overseen by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump and was also assigned to the criminal case accusing the former president of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Cannon generated intense scrutiny for her handling of Trump’s criminal case, which she dismissed in July — a decision now being appealed by special counsel Jack Smith’s team.
Routh’s arrest came two months after Trump was shot and wounded in the ear in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The Secret Service has acknowledged failings leading up to that shooting but has said that security worked as it should have to thwart a potential attack in Florida.
Routh was initially charged in a criminal complaint only with gun offenses before prosecutors pursued additional charges before a grand jury. Prosecutors will often quickly bring the first easily provable charges they can and then add more serious charges later as the investigation unfolds.
Other charges he faces include illegally possessing his gun in spite of multiple felony convictions, including two charges of possessing stolen goods in 2002 in North Carolina. He’s also accused of having a weapon with a serial number that was obliterated and unreadable to the naked eye, in violation of federal law.
____
Richer reported from Washington.
veryGood! (3587)
Related
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Issa Rae says Hollywood needs to be accountable. Here's why diverse shows are so important
- After hospital shooting, New Hampshire lawmakers consider bills to restrict, expand access to guns
- Justin Bieber Returns To The Stage A Year After Canceling World Tour
- Residents in Alaska capital clean up swamped homes after an ice dam burst and unleashed a flood
- Did the groundhog see his shadow? See results of Punxsutawney Phil's 2024 winter forecast
- U.K. bans American XL bully dogs after spate of deadly attacks
- Dog rescued after more than a week trapped inside shipping container in Texas port
- Olympic women's basketball bracket: Schedule, results, Team USA's path to gold
- Black tennis trailblazer William Moore's legacy lives on in Cape May more than 125 years later
Ranking
- Oklahoma parole board recommends governor spare the life of man on death row
- Senators reach a deal on border policy bill. Now it faces an uphill fight to passage
- Stock market today: Asian shares mostly rise after Wall Street rebound led by tech stocks
- What is TAYLOR-CON? Taylor Swift's management group files trademark application
- Police remove gator from pool in North Carolina town: Watch video of 'arrest'
- Could Biden shut down the border now? What to know about the latest immigration debate
- Man gets life plus up to 80 years for killing of fellow inmate during Nebraska prison riot
- Winners and losers of 2024 NFL coaching moves: Which teams made out best?
Recommendation
Billy Bean was an LGBTQ advocate and one of baseball's great heroes
Time loop stories aren't all 'Groundhog Day' rip-offs. Time loop stories aren't all...
Bee bus stops are coming to an English town to help save pollinators and fight climate change impacts
Gary Payton rips California's Lincoln University, where he is men's basketball coach
Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
A timeline of what's happened since 3 football fans found dead outside Kansas City home
Christian McCaffrey's mom said they can't afford 'stupidly expensive' Super Bowl suites
Where the jobs are: Strong hiring in most industries has far outpaced high-profile layoffs