Fort Pierce, US, Sep 11 (AP) — On Thursday morning, the trial of a man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump during a South Florida golf outing last year is set to commence with opening statements. The incident occurred as Trump was campaigning for his re-election.
Ryan Routh has opted to represent himself in court after US District Judge Aileen Cannon permitted him to dismiss his court-appointed attorneys. These attorneys remain on standby in the courtroom should Routh require their assistance.
Routh has entered a plea of not guilty to multiple charges, including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and several firearm-related offenses.
In previous hearings, Routh appeared in shackles and a jail-issued tan jumpsuit. However, with jurors present, he has been allowed to wear a sport coat and tie and remains unshackled. Judge Cannon has specified that while Routh can address jurors and witnesses from a podium, he will not be permitted complete freedom within the courtroom.
A jury, comprised of 12 members and four alternates, was sworn in on Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida. The jury includes four white men, one Black man, six white women, and one Black woman. The alternates consist of two white men and two white women. This panel was selected from an initial pool of 180 potential jurors.
The trial occurs nearly a year after prosecutorial claims that a US Secret Service agent prevented Routh's attempt to shoot at the Republican presidential nominee. The trial is expected to extend through two or three weeks.
According to prosecutors, Routh, aged 59, meticulously devised a plan to assassinate Trump, eventually positioning himself with a rifle aimed through the shrubbery as Trump golfed on September 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club. His attempt was thwarted when a Secret Service agent noticed him before Trump appeared. Routh's response to aim at this agent initiated gunfire from the agent, leading Routh to abandon his weapon and escape without discharging a single shot.
In an earlier incident, precisely nine weeks prior, Trump survived another assassination attempt during a Pennsylvania campaign event. An attacker fired eight shots, one of which grazed Trump's ear, before being neutralized by a Secret Service counter sniper.
Judge Cannon, a Trump appointee, is no stranger to controversy, having drawn significant attention in the past for adjudicating a criminal case concerning Trump's alleged illegal storage of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach. The case saw extensive delays due to accumulating motions and was ultimately thrown out last year after Cannon ruled that the Justice Department's special counsel tasked with investigating Trump was illegally appointed.
Routh's background includes working as a construction worker in North Carolina before relocating to Hawaii in recent years. Identifying as a mercenary leader, Routh often openly shared his intentions of involving himself in global conflicts, sometimes through dangerous or violent means, as witnesses have relayed to The Associated Press.
Attempts at recruitment for international conflict include efforts to enlist soldiers from Afghanistan, Moldova, and Taiwan to fight against Russia in the early stages of the Ukrainian war. Previously, during an encounter with police in his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2002, Routh was arrested for evading a traffic stop and barricading himself with a fully automatic weapon and a purportedly destructive device with a 10-inch fuse. The device was ultimately identified as an explosive. (AP)
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