Trump assassination attempt: A federal judge on Tuesday allowed the suspect accused of attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump last September in South Florida to hire an expert to examine the rifle recovered from the scene. Notably, the permission has only been granted to determine its operability. The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh's attorneys, had pleaded that their expert be allowed to check the rifle to evaluate a government expert's findings, as well as test it for other information that they thought was relevant. The expert to be hired by the main accused is likely to inspect, photograph and test the rifle to check its operability.
District Judge Aileen Cannon has given a deadline of May 15 while limiting the testing to just its operability. Routh's trial is scheduled for September.
Here's what prosecutors say
The prosecutors allege that Routh methodically prepared a plan to kill Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as Trump played golf on September 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.
However, before Routh could execute his plan, he was spotted by a Secret Service agent. Routh reportedly aimed his rifle at the agent. The agent opened fire, forcing Routh to drop his weapon and flee without firing a shot.
Who is Ryan Wesley Routh?
The prosecutors have added that he left behind a note describing his intentions. Later, Routh was arrested while driving on a nearby interstate. Routh was a frequent social media user where he expressed strong desires to participate in armed conflict in the past, primarily in Ukraine after Russia's conflict began in 2022. In a post on X, Routh expressed his willingness to "fight and die" in Ukraine.
Trump also survived another assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania, where he was injured with gunshot wounds in his right ear and the gunman, Matthew Crooks, was gunned down by the Secret Service on the spot. The FBI is still investigating the case.
(With inputs from AP)
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