Suspect in apparent assassination attempt on Trump charged with 2 firearm counts

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has been formally charged with two firearm-related offenses, according to US media on Monday.

Ryan Wesley Routh has been charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, CNN reported.

A detention hearing for Routh is scheduled for Sept. 23, followed by an arraignment on Sept. 30, said the report.

Trump was the target of what the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) described as "an apparent assassination attempt" at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday.

Law enforcement officials in Florida said they apprehended the suspect after US Secret Service agents spotted him with an AK-47-style assault rifle outside Trump’s golf club.

The suspect was identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, several US media outlets reported, citing unnamed law enforcement officials.

Routh previously told The New York Times that he traveled to Ukraine soon after the start of Russia’s "special military operation" in February 2022 to encourage people to fight for the country.

President Joe Biden said Monday that the Secret Service "needs more help," a day after the second apparent assassination attempt.

Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, was wounded during an attempted assassination at a campaign rally in July.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, a lone 20-year-old gunman, opened fire on Trump during a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania on July 13, grazing his right ear. Reports afterwards suggested that Trump had coincidentally turned his body when the gun was fired, perhaps averting a much more serious injury.

The gunman killed one spectator and seriously injured two others. After opening fire, Crooks was killed at the scene by a Secret Service agent.