Suspect charged after apparent assassination attempt on Trump

Former president calls Biden and Harris enemy within’ after incident

- Edward Helmore

The suspect in the second apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump in as many months was charged in federal court yesterday morning with two gun-related crimes amid urgent investigations into how he was able to get so close to the former US president.

As the US absorbed the news of the apparent attempt on Trump’s life, the Republican presidential nominee added to the tension around the US election campaign by making highly inflammatory remarks explicitly blaming Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for inciting the attack and calling them “the enemy within”.

Ryan Wesley Routh wore dark blue prison scrubs in the courthouse and shackles on his hands and feet. He sat quietly for about five minutes with no visible signs of nervousness before marshals led him back out to await his hearing. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and of having a gun with an obliterated serial number – probably just preliminary charges to allow authorities to keep him in custody while additional charges are brought.

Mobile phone records showed that Routh camped out near the golf course for about 12 hours, with food supplies, before being confronted by a Secret Service agent. The Associated Press reported that in court documents unsealed yesterday, officials said Routh’s phone was shown near the tree line at Trump’s golf course from 1 .59 am until 1 .31 pm on Sunday, around which point a Secret Service agent shot at him after seeing his rifl e through the foliage.

Routh fled in vehicle and was arrested by local law enforcement officers in a neighbouring county. Police bodycam footage posted to Facebook yesterday by the Martin County Sheriff’s office shows Routh, 58, walking backward with his hands over his head on the side of a road before being handcuffed and led away by law enforcement.