Authorities charge man with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump

Federal prosecutors formally charged 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh on Tuesday with attempting to assassinate a major political candidate, according to court documents.

Former President Donald Trump was rushed to safety on Sept. 15 while golfing in West Palm Beach, Florida, after officials spotted Routh’s rifle barrel poking out of a bush. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has added charges of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, along with two previous gun charges.

Following Routh’s arrest, officials revealed that the 58-year-old had been hiding in a bush at the Trump International Golf Course. A Secret Service agent spotted his gun barrel while checking ahead of Trump on the golf course and engaged with Routh, causing him to flee.

Routh was later arrested in Martin County, Florida, with an AK-47-style rifle, two backpacks containing ceramic plates, and a GoPro camera being found by officials where he had originally fled the scene. Prosecutors revealed Monday that cell phone data indicated Routh had stalked the former president for over a month, being present at the golf course and Mar-a-Lago from Aug. 18 until his arrest, according to CNN.

The indictment claims Routh had not only “intentionally” attempted to “kill” Trump but also “forcibly assault[ed], oppose[d], impede[d], intimidate[d], and interfere[d] with Secret Service Special Agent #1, an officer and employee of the United States.” Additionally, the original gun charges against Routh state that he “knowingly” possessed “a firearm and ammunition” despite having been previously “convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment,” along with possessing a firearm that had “the importer’s and manufacturer’s serial number removed, obliterated, and altered.”

The case will reportedly be overseen by Trump appointee Judge Aileen Cannon, who had previously handled the former president’s classified documents case, CNN reported. Routh is expected to be arraigned on Monday.

The DOJ did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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