Man suspected in apparent assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump charged with federal gun crimes

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump was charged Monday with federal gun crimes.

Ryan Wesley Routh faces charges of possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

He appeared briefly in federal court in West Palm Beach.

Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek an indictment.

The episode occurred Sunday afternoon when Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away.

An agent fired and Routh dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, the authorities said. Routh was later stopped by law enforcement in a neighboring county.