A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted a man accused of showing up to one of former President Trump's golf courses with a rifle, charging him with attempting to assassinate the presidential candidate.
Ryan Routh, 58, now faces a total of five charges. Indictment It marks a significant escalation in the case and comes after prosecutors revealed that Routh had written a letter months earlier detailing his plans.
He faces life in prison.
Routh has remained in custody since his arrest shortly after the September 15 incident, when he allegedly waited around Trump's West Palm Beach golf course for about 12 hours before being spotted by Secret Service officers. Prosecutors initially charged Routh with two firearms-related offenses.
The indictment marks the first time that Routh has been formally accused of intentionally trying to kill President Trump. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.
He also faces charges of assaulting a federal officer (a Secret Service agent) and possessing a firearm with intent to facilitate a crime of violence.
“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 Department of Justice will not tolerate violence that undermines the foundations of our democracy and will find and hold accountable those who perpetrate it. This behavior must stop,” the statement continued.
According to court records, the case was randomly assigned to U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who earlier this year dismissed a criminal case involving classified documents against a former president.
The golf course incident marked the second recent attempt on Trump's life after a man shot him in the ear while he was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July and was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper moments later.
However, Routh was spotted by Secret Service agents on September 15 and allegedly fled the hideout, leaving behind two bags, a loaded scoped rifle and other items. Police later arrested Routh as he attempted to drive north on Interstate 95.
Prosecutors said Monday that in a letter written months ago, Routh detailed a plot to assassinate Trump and predicted the plot would fail.
“Dear World, I am very sorry to have disappointed you in this assassination attempt on Donald Trump. I did my best and used all the courage I had,” the letter read.
Prosecutors also suggested that Routh's cellphone was sending signals to cell towers near the golf course and Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in the month before the attack.
Updated 7:22 p.m.
