Man convicted of plot to kill Trump at Florida golf course

The man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on his Florida golf course two months before the 2024 election was found guilty yesterday.

- Edward Helmore

The government charged Ryan Routh with five criminal counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and assaulting a Secret Service agent after he was spotted with a rifle hiding in bushes as Trump's golfing party approached.

Jurors returned a verdict of guilty on all charges after deliberating for less than three hours. He now faces up to life in prison.

Prosecutors said Routh, 59, had bought a military-grade weapon, researched Trump's movements and used several burner phones as part of a plot to kill Trump that was motivated by political grievances.

Routh's attempt on Trump's life on 15 September 2024 came nine weeks after the presidential candidate narrowly survived an attempted assassination at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. In that case, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks fired eight shots at Trump, one grazing his ear, before being killed by Secret Service counter-snipers.