After the alleged assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, the main suspect has now also been charged with attempted murder. He faces life imprisonment.
Just over a week after the alleged attempted attack on Donald Trump, the main suspect has been officially charged with the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate. The incident in the US state of Florida was a direct attack on democracy, the Ministry of Justice announced on Tuesday evening (local time). Concern about politically motivated violence in the USA remains high in the middle of the election campaign – Congress is also taking action.
The 58-year-old suspect has previously been accused of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and with an obscured serial number. It was expected that further charges would be brought against him. Specifically, the new charge is called “attempt to murder an important political candidate.” If convicted, Ryan Wesley Routh faces life in prison.
Concern in Congress about candidate safety
Almost at the same time, the US Congress passed a law intended to improve protection for presidential candidates. The text passed the Senate unanimously; a few days earlier, the House of Representatives had voted unanimously for the bill. The law stipulates that Republican presidential candidate Trump and his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris will be granted the same level of Secret Service protection as incumbent US President Joe Biden. This person now has to sign the text.
However, there are doubts that additional funding for the Secret Service so close to the election can significantly improve the security of candidates. The Secret Service is responsible for protecting high-ranking politicians – including the current president, but also former office holders or presidential candidates like Trump. Since the attack in the town of Butler, Pennsylvania, a good two months ago, Trump has already received the same protection as the incumbent president. However, this is still protected, for example, by forces from the Ministry of Defense.
Suspect in Florida is said to have planned the attack well in advance
A gunman opened fire at a Republican Party campaign rally in Butler and shot Trump. One visitor to the rally died and two others were injured. Trump was injured in his right ear. The perpetrator was killed by security forces. Another incident occurred just over a week ago: The Secret Service shot an armed man at Trump’s golf course in the state of Florida who was hiding in the bushes while the ex-president was playing there. The suspect himself did not fire a bullet and fled, but was arrested and charged a short time later.
On Monday, the public prosecutor’s office had already published a letter that Routh is said to have written. The letter – addressed to “die Welt” – says: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I have disappointed you. I tried my best and gave everything I could muster.” Court documents show that Routh’s cell phone was at the crime scene for around twelve hours – and so was he himself. He is said to have planned the attack methodically.
Justice Minister: “Violence against public officials endangers everything the United States stands for”
The Justice Department also said that Routh’s cellphone was located near Trump’s golf club and his Mar-a-Lago estate a few miles away on multiple days and times between August 18 and September 15. The 58-year-old will remain in custody until the trial begins. “Violence against public officials endangers everything our country stands for,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
On November 5th, former President Trump and Vice President Harris will compete against each other in the presidential election. The mood in the USA is heated – there are great concerns about further escalation. After the incident at his golf club in Florida, Trump blamed the Democrats. US President Biden warned of further violence.
Trump team: Threat from Iran
Recently, hacker attacks on the internal communications of Trump’s campaign team also made headlines. US intelligence agencies blamed Iran for this – which they rejected. Now Trump’s campaign team announced that the Republican had been informed by US intelligence “about real and concrete threats from Iran to assassinate him.” Iran’s goal is to destabilize the United States and sow chaos, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said, citing the Office of National Intelligence. Trump was informed about this on Tuesday (local time).
There was no immediate comment from the Office of National Intelligence. The agency warned earlier this week that foreign actors, including Russia and Iran, were using artificial intelligence to “increase their respective efforts to influence elections in the United States.”
