Ryan Routh, suspected of attempting to assassinate former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump on a golf course in South Florida, was indicted on Monday (16) on federal firearms-related charges, for which he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Routh made his first appearance in federal court in West Palm Beach on Monday, appearing handcuffed and wearing a prison uniform, after being arrested on Sunday (15) on suspicion of trying to shoot the former president with an assault rifle while the Republican candidate played on a golf course he owns.
During a hearing that lasted just under ten minutes and was conducted by Judge Ryon McCabe, prosecutors brought two charges against Routh: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Moments before the charges were filed, law enforcement officials revealed that the AK-47 rifle seized at the crime scene, which the suspect is believed to have used to shoot Trump, had a scratched-off serial number.
In court, Routh, 58, said he has no savings, that his only assets are two trucks currently in Hawaii, that he earns about $3,000 a month in income and that he is the father of a 25-year-old son.
A bail hearing has been set for Sept. 23 and an arraignment has been scheduled for Sept. 30, at which point additional charges could be added as the investigation progresses.
The second assassination attempt on the Republican candidate, just over two months after the attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, occurred on Sunday afternoon and was averted after Secret Service agents spotted a man with a rifle behind a fence on the golf course.
The Secret Service fired and the man ran through some bushes from where he was hiding, but was arrested minutes later on a road in his vehicle, where the gun was found, as well as two backpacks and a GoPro sports camera. (With EFE Agency)
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