A federal grand jury has indicted Ryan Wesley Routh, who was found hiding in bushes near the Trump International Golf Course where former President Donald Trump was playing golf, on charges of attempting to assassinate the president.
In a press release on Tuesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Announced Routh was indicted on charges of attempting to assassinate President Trump on September 15.
The Justice Department's announcement came after prosecutors announced Monday that they intend to file attempted assassination charges against Routh, who is accused of trying to assassinate President Trump.
“Violence targeted at public servants endangers everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will take every step to hold Ryan Routh accountable for his role in the attempted assassination of former President Trump as charged in the indictment,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
The day after his arrest, Routh was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Routh's indictment came a day after the Department of Justice released the contents of a letter it purportedly obtained through a witness who claimed to have received the letters in a box months ago. In the letter, Routh allegedly wrote, he apologized for failing to assassinate the former president and offered a $150,000 reward to anyone who could do it.
A federal judge ruled that Routh would not be granted bail and would remain in custody “pending the resolution of the charges.”
Garland also said the Justice Department “will not tolerate violence that undermines the foundations of our democracy” and vowed to “find those who perpetrate violence and hold them accountable.”
The second assassination attempt on Trump came after suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 from the roof of a nearby building within direct view of Trump.
