Ryan Routh arrest: Rifle used by would-be Donald Trump assassin revealed in new photos
The gun was found in Ryan Routh’s alleged sniper’s nest outside Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach.
Ryan Wesley Routh, the man who allegedly tried to assassinate former president Donald Trump, was locked and loaded,with 10 rounds in the magazine, as well as one in the chamber of his Soviet-designed SKS assault rifle, federal prosecutors have reportedly said. The first close-up photo of the firearm was revealed in a detention memo filed Monday, September 23. The gun was found in Routh’s alleged sniper’s nest outside Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach.
The gun has been modified with a detachable magazine, a modern stock, as well as a scope to make it accurate to shoot at long range, New York Post reported. Prosecutors claimed the serial number on the rifle was “obliterated and unreadable.” The court papers confirmed that Routh’s fingerprints were discovered on the rifle.
The gun, and backpacks and a GoPro camera, were found by the feds after Routh fled the spot he was at, allegedly planning to assassinate Trump, who was playing golf. He escaped after the Secret Service noticed him and opened fire at him.
Prosecutors say Ryan Routh poses a danger to the community
On Monday, during a detention hearing in a federal court in West Palm Beach, prosecutors told a judge that they will be urging a grand jury to mount the charge of trying to “assassinate a major political candidate” against the suspect. At present, Routh is facing two counts related to possession of the SKS rifle. He faces as many as 15 years in prison.
Prosecutors said that the Hawaii resident should be held in jail until trial as he was dangerous for the community. Judge Ryon McCabe agreed, as the “weight of the evidence against the defendant is strong.” However, Routh’s lawyer, Kristy Militello, disagreed, and asked for the suspect to be allowed to live with his sister in North Carolina. Militello claimed Routh did not pose a danger, and had made court appearances in previous cases.
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