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:2025-04-14 01:32:48
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! (692)
Related
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Man identifying himself as American Travis Timmerman found in Syria after being freed from prison
- Morgan Wallen sentenced after pleading guilty in Nashville chair
- Timothée Chalamet makes an electric Bob Dylan: 'A Complete Unknown' review
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Kehlani Responds to Hurtful Accusation She’s in a Cult
- Here's how to make the perfect oven
Ranking
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- Biden and Tribal Leaders Celebrate Four Years of Accomplishments on Behalf of Native Americans
- Apple, Android users on notice from FBI, CISA about texts amid 'massive espionage campaign'
- Meet 11-year-old skateboarder Zheng Haohao, the youngest Olympian competing in Paris
- Woman fired from Little India massage parlour arrested for smashing store's glass door
- A Malibu wildfire prompts evacuation orders and warnings for 20,000, including Dick Van Dyke, Cher
- Joe Burrow’s home broken into during Monday Night Football in latest pro
Recommendation
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
Rooftop Solar Keeps Getting More Accessible Across Incomes. Here’s Why
TikTok asks Supreme Court to review ban legislation, content creators react: What to know
Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
Golf's No. 1 Nelly Korda looking to regain her form – and her spot on the Olympic podium
A fugitive gains fame in New Orleans eluding dart guns and nets
Woman fired from Little India massage parlour arrested for smashing store's glass door
Not sure what to write in your holiday card? These tips can help: Video tutorial