Man Indicted for Attempted Assassination at Trump's Florida Golf Course

Ryan Routh, 58, was indicted on a charge of attempted assassination of Donald Trump, while he was at his Florida golf course. Routh is accused of pointing a rifle through a fence at the golf club. The case will be overseen by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon.

A man accused of staking out Donald Trump's Florida golf course with a rifle was indicted on Tuesday for attempted assassination of a political candidate, federal prosecutors announced. Ryan Routh, 58, already facing two gun-related charges, allegedly pointed a rifle through a fence at Trump's golf club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15 as the Republican presidential candidate was golfing.

Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized in a statement that, "The Justice Department will not tolerate violence that strikes at the heart of our democracy, and we will find and hold accountable those who perpetrate it. This must stop." A federal grand jury in Miami issued the indictment late Tuesday afternoon, and the charge carries a maximum life sentence.

The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who previously dismissed a criminal case involving Trump. Routh, yet to enter a plea, was denied bond. Prosecutors revealed evidence indicating a plan to kill Trump, including an earlier dropped-off letter and cell phone data tracing Routh near Trump-related locations. A U.S. Secret Service agent discovered the rifle, causing Routh to flee, before his arrest along a Florida highway.

(With inputs from agencies.)