Trump golf course suspect Ryan Routh charged with attempted assassination

Washington — The man arrested after he was allegedly spotted by Secret Service with a high-powered rifle at a golf course owned by former President Donald Trump was charged with attempted assassination of a political figure. 

A federal grand jury in Miami indicted Ryan Wesley Routh on Tuesday on a charge of attempting to kill Trump on Sept. 15, according to the Justice Department. The charge carries a maximum potential sentence of life in prison. 

Routh was charged last week with two federal firearms charges. A Secret Service agent spotted him and the barrel of a gun in the bushes along the fence at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Trump was playing golf at the course. 

No shots were fired at the former president, but the Secret Service agent fired at the suspect, who fled and was later arrested. 

Months ago, according to a court filing, Routh had left a handwritten letter with a man that said: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster.” 

The court filing also revealed that Routh had a list of dates and places in his vehicle 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.