Jury finds man guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump on golf course

Washington, Sep 24 (IANS) A Florida jury found Ryan Routh guilty of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump a year ago on a golf course.

The attempt to assassinate the then Republican presidential nominee came just weeks before the November 2024 election, and two months after a separate assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, when Trump was grazed in the ear by a bullet, Xinhua news agency reported.

Routh, 59, was convicted of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, as well as three federal firearms offenses arising from the incident on September 15, 2024. He faces life in prison at his upcoming sentencing.

The incident happened on 15 September 2024 as Trump, then a presidential candidate, was playing golf on a course he owns in West Palm Beach, about 15 minutes from his Mar-a-Lago residence.

Judge Aileen Cannon from the US District Court in the Southern District of Florida oversaw the trial process, in which Routh served as his own attorney.

"Today's guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice's commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence," said US Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a statement.

"This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our president, but an affront to our very nation itself," she added.

Trump called it "a very big moment for JUSTICE IN AMERICA" in a social media post.

--IANS

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