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US Justice Department Indicts Suspect in Trump Assassination Attempt

Authorities investigating the second assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump have charged a suspect with possession of a firearm and other charges.

Ryan Wesla Rouse appeared in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, on the 16th local time and was charged with two firearms-related crimes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The charges include illegal possession of a firearm as a felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Both charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

The indictment has revealed new details about this case. A Secret Service agent assigned to protect former President Trump was walking along the edge of a golf course at around 1:31 p.m. the previous day when he saw what appeared to be a rifle in a tree-lined area and fired in that direction.

The suspect then emerged from the tree and fled in a Nissan sport utility vehicle, and was arrested on I-95 at approximately 2:14 p.m. The Nissan SUV had the license plates of a 2012 Ford truck that had been reported stolen.

At the location where the suspect was found, a digital camera, two bags, a loaded SKS series rifle with a scope and a black plastic bag containing food were found. The suspect was initially reported to be armed with an AK-47 series rifle, but the indictment describes it as an SKS series with the serial number obscured.

According to the indictment, Routh was convicted in 2002 in North Carolina of possession of a weapon of mass destruction and in 2010 in North Carolina of multiple counts of possession of stolen property, all felonies.

CNN reported that the two charges brought this time are intended to keep Routh in custody while the investigation continues, and that additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues.

The indictment also states that investigators’ review of Routh’s cellphone records showed he was in the vicinity of the crime scene for nearly 12 hours, from 1:59 a.m. to 1:31 p.m. on the 15th.

Criticism is expected to be raised as to why the Secret Service did not detect the threat sooner, given that the suspect had been in the area for so long.