A federal judge on Monday ordered the detention of Ryan Routh, the man accused of participating in the assassination attempt on former President Trump earlier this month.
At a court hearing in Florida, Magistrate Judge Ryan McCabe granted the government’s request to hold Ryan Routh in custody until those charges are resolved.
Ahead of the trial, the Justice Department asked the Southern District of Florida to hold Routh in pretrial detention. McCabe said federal prosecutors had met their responsibilities and that the weight of the evidence was strong.
Routh is charged with possessing an obliterated firearm and illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, with more serious charges likely pending. Federal prosecutors also told the judge that the government intends to ask a grand jury to indict Routh on the more serious charge of attempting to assassinate President Trump.
Trump assassin suspect wrote chilling letter months before golf course plan
A panoramic view of the fenced-in area near the sixth hole at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday, September 18. This is the area where Ryan Routh reportedly ambushed former President Trump on Sunday. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital/Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office)
Additionally, prosecutors said they had an audio recording of a recent phone call Routh made to a female friend from prison, in which he said he was “sorry” and that his friend was still “coming to terms” with the horrible things he had done.
Prosecutors said Routh then apologized a second time.
State Attorney Dave Aronberg previously told Fox News Digital that Routh could face additional charges in the coming days, including aggravated assault charges for allegedly pointing a rifle at a U.S. Secret Service agent and threatening the former president.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a press conference last Tuesday that the state plans to file further charges against Routh and that his crimes carry a life sentence.
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Ryan Routh was stationed near the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach with an SKS rifle, a backpack and shopping bags. Preliminary ballistic tests showed that both bags contained plates capable of blocking small arms fire.
The Department of Justice also released the damning letter written by Routh on Monday.
The Justice Department obtained the letter from a witness who said he found it in a box delivered to him by Routh several months before the assassination attempt, and that he only opened the box after hearing that Routh was a suspect in the attack, authorities said.
Inside the box were several handwritten letters, ammunition, and other items, including one addressed to “Dear World” and describing an assassination attempt.
FBI agents remove boxes of evidence from the perimeter of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Ryan Routh was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump by hiding in bushes along the golf course. (Mega from Fox News Digital)
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In the letter, Routh wrote that he had failed and offered $150,000 to anyone who could complete the job.
McCabe said Routh was believed to have been stalking Trump for 30 days and that at the time of his arrest he had his passport and a cell phone which contained search history relating to directions from Palm Beach to Florida.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom, Jake Gibson and David Spunt contributed to this report.
