Anadolu: A federal jury convicted Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, of Hawaii, on Tuesday for attempting to assassinate Donald Trump, then a presidential candidate, during the 2024 election campaign.
The conviction stems from a Sept. 15, 2024 incident at a Trump-owned golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida where Routh was discovered hiding in shrubbery with a rifle aimed at Trump’s security detail.
Routh was found guilty on five charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a Secret Service agent, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
The charges carry maximum penalties ranging from five years to life in prison. A federal judge will determine sentencing after considering guidelines and statutory factors.
“Today’s guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi, clearly alluding to the fatal shooting earlier this month of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist.
She described the attempt as “not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself.”
During the incident, a Secret Service agent fired at Routh, who fled but was captured shortly afterward. The attack took place weeks before the November 2024 elections, which Trump won, retaking the White House after four years as a private citizen.
