The man accused of attempting to assassinate former United States president Donald Trump at his Florida golf course last month has pleaded not guilty to the charges in a federal court. According to the Associated Press (AP), authorities said Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was camped outside the golf course for over 12 hours before the Secret Service spotted him with a rifle.
As per CNN, prosecutors said Routh stalked Republican presidential nominee Trump in Florida for over a month before setting up camp. Routh faces five charges, including the assassination attempt, gun charges and assaulting an officer.
Routh was armed with a Soviet-designed rifle between two bags packed with bulletproof plates, prosecutors said. He allegedly had a clear shot of the 6th hole green when Trump was golfing that day. After he was spotted, he fled the scene, leaving behind an AK-47-style assault rifle, a scope, two backpacks and a GoPro device.
He was later arrested on Interstate 95, a highway through the state, as per BBC.
According to CNN, on Monday, Routh appeared in court handcuffed, wearing a tan prison jumpsuit and glasses, during the brief hearing. In their case against Routh, prosecutors cited a letter he allegedly left with a witness who came forward after his arrest.
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you,” Routh allegedly wrote. “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 [over Rs 1 crore] to whomever can complete the job.”
His case has been assigned to federal judge Aileen Cannon, who dismissed criminal classified document mishandling charges against Trump earlier this year, as per CNN.
The alleged assassination attempt took place about nine weeks after the Republican presidential candidate was shot at by Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old armed with an AR-style rifle during an election rally in Pennsylvania. Crooks was shot dead at the scene but he had killed a rallygoer by then.