Trump shooting suspect charged with attempted assassination

The US Justice Department announced Tuesday that the gunman accused of plotting to kill Donald Trump at his Florida golf course earlier this month has been indicted on three additional charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.

The charge of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate carries a potential life sentence upon conviction.

Who was the case assigned to?

The indictment against Ryan R. was handed down by a grand jury in Miami, the Justice Department said, and court documents showed the case was randomly assigned to judge Aileen Cannon.

Cannon is a Trump-appointed federal judge who drew intense scrutiny for her handling of a criminal case accusing the former president of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

She dismissed that case in July, a decision now being appealed by special counsel Jack Smith's team.

What do we know about the suspect?

Ryan R. was already facing two gun charges after authorities said he pointed a rifle through a fence at Trump's golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15 while the Republican presidential candidate was golfing there. He was ordered to remain in jail pending trial.

The prosecutors alleged that Ryan R. had written of his plans to kill Trump in a handwritten note months before his September 15 arrest in which he referred to his actions as a failed "assassination attempt on Donald Trump" and offered $150,000 (€134,178) for anyone who could "finish the job."

dh/jsi (AFP, Reuters)