U.S. prosecutors have charged Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old man, with trying to assassinate Donald Trump near his golf course in Florida.
BBC reported that Routh was arrested in mid-September after being spotted by a Secret Service agent with a rifle near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club.
Trump was playing golf at the time, but no shots were fired, and Routh ran away, leaving behind his gun. He was caught soon after by police.
Routh was already facing gun charges that could land him up to 20 years in prison, but the new charge of attempted assassination could mean life behind bars if he’s convicted, according to BBC.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that violence against public officials goes against the values of the country, and promised to hold Routh accountable.
Trump, however, criticized the handling of the case, saying the Justice Department should let Florida take over. Garland disagreed, stating that federal and state officials would cooperate according to the law.
BBC explained that court documents revealed Routh had written a letter months earlier, saying he intended to kill Trump and offering a cash reward to anyone who could finish the job.
He has also been charged with other serious crimes, including assaulting a federal officer and having a gun with the serial number removed. Routh is being held in custody because prosecutors argued he could be dangerous and might try to flee.
The BBC also reported that Routh’s son, Oran Routh, was arrested for child pornography after investigators found hundreds of illegal files at his home in North Carolina while looking into his father’s activities.
This assassination attempt follows an earlier incident in July, when another man named Thomas Matthew Crooks tried to kill Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania. Crooks was shot dead by security forces before he could harm anyone.
Routh’s case has been given to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the same judge who handled Trump’s classified documents case, BBC added.
Routh will return to court at the end of September to enter his plea.
Credit : BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y5l9jzjglo