Washington [US], September 24: Immediately after being convicted of plotting to assassinate US President Donald Trump, defendant Ryan Routh grabbed a pen and stabbed himself in the neck but was stopped by police in time.
On September 23, a jury in Florida (USA) convicted defendant Ryan Routh (59 years old), who was accused of plotting to assassinate President Trump in September 2024 when Mr. Trump, then a presidential candidate, was playing golf at a golf course in Florida. It was the second attempted assassination of Mr. Trump during the 2024 election campaign, according to CNN.
Routh represented himself in court without a lawyer. He was found guilty on all five charges including conspiracy to assassinate a presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
After the verdict was read, defendant Routh used a pen to stab himself in the neck but was stopped by security forces at the court.
Sketch artist Lothar Speer, who sat in the front row of the courtroom, said Routh was "unemotional" throughout the trial, according to CNN. Speer began drawing when he heard Routh's daughter screaming from behind: "Oh my God, he's trying to kill himself, he's trying to kill himself! Someone stop him, please."
IT expert John Grouse, who witnessed the incident, said the defendant was restrained by marshals and dragged out of the courtroom. When he returned to court, Mr. Routh was handcuffed and there was no blood on his face.
Prosecutors said the defendant had carefully prepared the assassination plot and had been loitering near the area for several weeks before the incident on September 15. His online search history also showed he had searched for information about Mr. Trump's next events, traffic cameras in the area, airport routes and flights to Mexico.
On September 15, 2024, the defendant texted his three children that he loved them and set up an ambush near the sixth hole at Trump's Florida golf course. Security forces later discovered the rifle and some items, but Mr. Routh fled. A witness saw the suspect and took a photo to report to the police. Mr. Routh was arrested on the street shortly afterward.
The jury deliberated for nearly three hours before returning a guilty verdict. Ryan Routh will be sentenced by Judge Aileen Cannon on December 18. He faces a possible life sentence .
After the verdict, President Trump took to social media to congratulate law enforcement. "Congratulations to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and the entire Justice Department team on the conviction in Florida of my would-be assassin. This was an evil man with evil intentions, and they caught him," President Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
