LAST UPDATE | 16 Sep
A MAN HAS appeared in court charged with federal gun crimes after former US president Donald Trump was the target of what the FBI said “appears to be an attempted assassination” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Meanwhile, in a statement this evening, the US Secret Service said Ryan Wesley Routhhad no clear line of sight on the Trump and did not fire his weapon
“He did not fire or get off any shots at our agent,” Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe told reporters.
Ryan Wesley Routh briefly entered a Florida courtroom today for his initial appearance, wearing a dark blue jail jumpsuit and his arms and legs shackled.
During an eight-minute hearing, prosecutors levied two charges against him: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Officials said Routh could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the first charge, and a possible five-year sentence on the second charge.
A bond hearing has been scheduled for September 23, and a probable cause hearing or arraignment has been set for September 30, depending on whether the government secures an indictment on the charges.
During the hearing, Routh gave routine information to court officials as to his work status and income. Speaking in a soft voice, he said that he was working and making around $3,000 dollars a month, but has no savings.
Routh said that he has no property or assets, aside from two trucks worth about $1,000, both located in Hawaii.
Routh also said that he has a 25-year-old son, whom he sometimes supports.
He faces charges of possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Routh smiled as he spoke to his lawyer and reviewed documents. He sat quietly for about five minutes before marshals led him back out to await his hearing.
The incident came just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee, who has said he is safe and well, survived another attempt on his life.
US Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away.
An agent fired and the gunman dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, Palm Beach County sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.
He was later stopped by law enforcement in a neighbouring county.
CNN and CBS reported Routh was a self-employed affordable housing builder in Hawaii who had an arrest record spanning decades and regularly posted on politics and current events, including sometimes criticising Trump, the Republican presidential candidate.
Routh was interviewed by news agency AFP in 2022 in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, while he was taking part in a demonstration in support of Ukrainians trapped in the port city of Mariupol.
In his AFP interview at the time, Routh lashed Russia president Vladimir Putin as a “terrorist” who “needs to be ended”.
“I AM WILLING TO FLY TO KRAKOW AND GO TO THE BORDER OF UKRAINE TO VOLUNTEER AND FIGHT AND DIE… Can I be the example We must win,” Routh said in an X post in March 2022, according to the New York Times, which also interviewed him.
With reporting from David Mac Redmond and PA
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