The suspect who allegedly tried to kill Donald Trump was arraigned today in federal court, where he was charged prosecution for two firearms offencesone day after he was seen hiding in bushes, armed with a rifle, on the former president’s golf course in Florida.
He is likely to face other charges, but this first charge (of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number) allows authorities to hold him in custody while the investigation continues. These two charges carry sentences of 15 and 5 years respectively.
On Sunday, members of the Secret Service opened fire when an agent he saw a cane emerge from the bushes at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, just a few hundred yards from where the former US president played.
The suspect fled in a car, leaving behind two backpacks and his weapon, an SKS style rifle with a custom scope. A little later, the 58-year-old was arrested Ryan Wesley Ruth.
Ruth wore a dark prison uniform and had his hands and feet shackled during his court appearance today, according to CNN.
According to the federal indictment, the suspect was near the golf course for more than 11 hours before agents spotted him. Cellphone records show Ruth’s cell phone was at the scene from about 1.59am. until 1.31 p.m. of September 15.
Ruth, 58, was arrested about 40 minutes after he was spotted driving on Interstate 95. When asked by officers if he knew why he was stopped, he said yes, according to the indictment. His license plate was stolen from another vehicle.
Ruth has been convicted twice in North Carolina, in 2002 for possession of a weapon of mass destruction and in 2019 for possession of stolen property. There are currently no further details on these two cases.
Trump blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the assassination attempt. He claimed the suspect was acting because of “inflammatory rhetoric” from Democrats, although authorities have yet to produce evidence or clarify the attacker’s motive.
“Their rhetoric (including Biden and Harris) caused me to be shot, while I am the one who will save the country and they are the ones who are destroying it, both at home and abroad.”he said according to the Fox television network.
#Attempted #assassination #Trump #Prosecution #gun #possession #58yearold #suspect
