The gunman who allegedly tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump while he was golfing has been ordered held without bond until his trial.
Ryan Wesley Routh appeared in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, Monday morning for a three-hour hearing — where Judge Ryon McCabe agreed with prosecutors that Routh should be kept behind bars until his trial for weapons charges.
On Monday, prosecutors released a letter in which Routh allegedly admitted he was going to try to kill the 2024 Republican presidential nominee and encouraged others to also attempt to assassinate Trump.
Routh, 58, was arrested Sept. 15 after a Secret Service agent saw the muzzle of an SKS assault rifle poking through the shrubbery outside the Trump International Golf Club last Sunday.
The agent opened fire before the would-be assassin was able to shoot Trump, prosecutors say.
Routh, who lives in Hawaii, dropped the firearm and fled, leaving behind a slew of other evidence including two backpacks and a GoPro camera. He was caught and arrested 40 minutes later.
The feds told the judge that Routh should be remanded, arguing that he’s too dangerous to be allowed to remain free.
In fact, Routh allegedly penned a chilling note months prior addressed “To the World” in which he stated: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you.”
“I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster,” the letter read. “It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.”
The note was placed in a box that also contained “ammunition, a metal pipe, miscellaneous building materials, tools, four phones” and other letters. The container was dropped at the home of an unidentified person — who turned the contents over to investigators after Routh’s arrest.
Routh is charged with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the first charge.
Routh has two prior North Carolina convictions, including a 2002 conviction for possession of a weapon of mass destruction after he was caught with a bomb during a police standoff and a 2010 conviction on multiple counts of possession of stolen goods.
