A man who was found hiding in the bushes with a loaded rifle at Donald Trump’s golf course has been indicted for attempting to assassinate the former president, Bloomberg reports.
Ryan Routh faces multiple charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, and assaulting a federal officer.
According to an indictment released by the US Justice Department, Routh had been stalking Trump at his Florida golf club and Mar-a-Lago resort for a month before being apprehended on September 15. Investigators say Routh wrote a letter addressed to the “world” admitting to his intent to kill Trump.
“Violence targeting public officials endangers everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will use every available tool to hold Ryan Routh accountable for the attempted assassination of former President Trump charged in the indictment,”Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
Routh also faces previous charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. The case is assigned to US District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee in south Florida who recently made a controversial decision to dismiss the criminal case against the former president for mishandling classified documents.
