The suspect in an alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump will appear for the primary time in federal court in Florida on Monday.
The man, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, appeared before Judge Ryon McCabe in handcuffs and dark blue prison garb, NBC News reported.
He appeared relaxed and calm as he sat with a public defender within the courtroom of the U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, NBC reported.
Routh was arrested on Sunday after U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire near Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach while the Republican candidate was playing a round.
An agent spotted a rifle with a scope within the bushes and fired several shots, after which the person with the weapon fled in a black Nissan, officials said at a news conference Sunday. Routh was arrested in a neighboring county.
A rifle, two backpacks and a GoPro camera were found near the golf course, authorities said.
Trump was not injured. Truth Social In his post on Sunday evening he wrote: “It was definitely an interesting day!”
The incident might be the second assassination attempt against him inside two months.
Trump's ear was grazed by a bullet in an earlier assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July. The gunman in that attack, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed seconds after he opened fire.
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said in an announcement on Sunday that she was glad her Republican rival was secure, adding: “Violence has no place in America.”
President Joe Biden told reporters outside the White House on Monday morning that the Secret Service “needs more help.”
This is breaking news, please check back later for updates.
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