US prosecutors have charged a man arrested near Donald Trump’s Florida golf course with the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate.
It comes a day after a court filing showed Ryan Wesley Routh had written a note months ago saying he intended to kill Trump.
Routh, 58, already faces up to 20 years behind bars on two gun-related charges.
But he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted on the new, more serious charge.
“Violence targeting public officials endangers everything our country stands for,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, vowing to “use every available tool” to hold Routh accountable.
A judge has ordered Routh to remain in custody after prosecutors argued he was a flight risk and a danger to the community.
The suspect is being held at a detention centre in South Florida since his arrest on 15 September.
Earlier that day, a Secret Service agent had spotted his rifle poking through a fence at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
The agent opened fire as the three-time Republican presidential nominee was playing a round of golf.
Routh fled without firing a shot, leaving his weapon and other items at the scene as agents escorted Trump to safety.
He was arrested shortly afterwards, after a witness spotted him on the highway.
In addition to the attempted assassination charge, an eight-page indictment unsealed on Tuesday also charges Routh with:
- possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence;
- possessing a firearm as a felon;
- possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number;
- assaulting a federal officer
According to the indictment, Routh “did forcibly assault, oppose, impede, intimidate, and interfere” with a Secret Service special agent.
He returns to court for an arraignment hearing on Monday 30 September, where he is expected to enter a plea.
Trump has accused the government of mishandling the case.
In a social media post on Monday, he called on the justice department to “LET FLORIDA HANDLE THE CASE!”
But Garland told reporters his agency will “seek to cooperate and get assistance from” state officials “consistent with the law”.
