By Axios | Created at 2024-09-24 23:00:56 | Updated at 2024-09-30 07:34:18
5 days ago
Prosecutors announced Ryan Wesley Routh was indicted Tuesday on charges of attempted assassination of former President Trump at his Florida golf course.
The big picture: Routh, 58, of Hawai'i, was already charged with two gun crimes for allegedly pointing a rifle through the tree line surrounding the golf course where Trump was playing a game with friends.
Driving the news: A federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment on Tuesday afternoon charging Routh with attempting to kill the Republican presidential nominee at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, per a Department of Justice statement.
- FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement that Routh's charge of attempted assassination of a presidential candidate "strikes at the very heart of our democratic system."
- He said the FBI was "continuing its investigation into this alleged plot" and would uncover and provide "as much information as possible about what led to the events in West Palm Beach."
What they're saying: Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that 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 Trump.
State of play: Routh has yet to enter a plea in the case.
Go deeper: Trump's close call
Editor's note: This a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
