Florida prosecutors officially charged Ryan Wesley Routh with attempted assassination on Tuesday over his alleged failed plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a golf course in West Palm Beach earlier this month.
The case was randomly assigned to Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who gained prominence for overseeing and tossing the federal classified documents case against the former president, per CNN.
Routh was originally charged with one count of obliteration of a firearm’s serial number, and count of possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon. But his charges now include attempted assassination, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and assaulting a federal officer.
“The attempted assassination on the former president is a heinous act,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said during an unrelated news conference on Tuesday. “I am grateful that he is safe, and as I said immediately after the event, the Justice Department will spare no resource to ensure accountability.”
The 58-year-old, believed to be responsible for the second assassination attempt on Trump this year, is expected to be arraigned in court on Monday.
Related Story: Congressman Says Homeland Whistleblower Claims Five Assassin Teams Hunting Trump
