Suspect Ryan Routh, 58, has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of attempted assassination of a major US presidential candidate, including former President Donald Trump. The plea was made during a hearing before US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart on Monday. Routh, dressed in a beige prison uniform and restrained with shackles on his wrists and ankles, acknowledged his awareness of the charges when questioned by the judge.
Routh, who is also facing charges of assaulting a federal officer and firearms offenses, has been ordered to remain in jail until his trial. Prosecutors allege that Routh intended to kill Trump while he was golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15. The suspect was apprehended after a Secret Service agent noticed a rifle barrel protruding from the brush on the golf course perimeter. The agent fired shots, prompting Routh to flee in a vehicle. He was subsequently arrested.
According to prosecutors, Routh, a struggling roofing contractor, had expressed his condemnation of the Republican presidential candidate in a self-published book. Additionally, he had left a letter with an associate months prior, referencing an attempted assassination on Trump. The letter, discovered by authorities, contained the statement, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you.” Routh’s defense lawyers suggested during a court hearing on September 23 that the letter may have been an attempt by their client to gain publicity. They also highlighted Routh’s purported efforts to promote democracy in Ukraine and Taiwan.
