Washington — The man was arrested after allegedly spotted by the secret services with a high-caliber rifle on a golf course just a few hundred yards from former President Donald Trump, is accused of attempted assassination of a political figure.
A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted Ryan Wesley Routh Tuesday on a charge of attempted murder of Trump on September 15according to the Justice Department. The charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Routh was indicted last week on two federal firearms charges. A Secret Service agent spotted him with the barrel of a gun in the bushes along the fence at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, as Trump was playing golf on the course.
No shots were fired at the former president, but the Secret Service agent shot the suspect, who fled and was later arrested.
A few months ago, according to a court filing, Routh left a handwritten letter to a man that read: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed. I did my best and put forth all the courage I could muster.”
The court filing also revealed that Routh had in his vehicle a list of dates and locations where Trump had appeared or was expected to appear, as well as a cellphone that had searched for directions from West Palm Beach to Mexico.
