Fort Pierce, 19 Sept

An FBI sniper testified Thursday that the man accused of plotting to assassinate Donald Trump had chosen a highly effective hiding place near the former president’s Florida golf course.

FBI Special Agent Nicholas Schnelle told the court that the suspect’s position was only 126 feet from the sixth hole at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, concealed by dense vegetation. “It’s close and unobstructed,” Schnelle said.

Schnelle added that the SKS rifle recovered had an effective range of more than 1,000 feet, nearly 10 times the distance to the target. With its iron sights or attached scope, a competent marksman could have easily hit a human-sized target, he said.

The testimony came on the sixth day of the trial of Ryan Routh, accused of attempting to assassinate Trump on 15 September, 2024. Prosecutors say Routh spent weeks preparing before aiming his rifle at Trump as he played golf. A Secret Service agent previously testified that Routh pointed the weapon at him before Trump appeared, prompting the agent to open fire. Routh dropped the gun and fled without shooting.

Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and firearm violations. Representing himself, he is expected to begin presenting his case on Monday. He plans to call a firearms expert and character witnesses, though it remains unclear if he will testify.

A Palm Beach detective also testified Thursday, saying a man resembling Routh visited Palm Beach International Airport a week before the alleged attack. Security footage showed him watching Trump’s plane take off. During cross-examination, Routh asked if it was illegal to photograph planes, to which the detective replied it was not.

Prosecutors are expected to rest their case Friday, earlier than the three weeks initially allotted for the trial.

Law enforcement also presented evidence from a witness who saw someone fleeing after gunshots at the golf course. The witness later identified Routh after being flown by helicopter to where police apprehended him.

The Florida case comes just weeks after Trump survived another attempt during a Pennsylvania rally in July, when a gunman fired eight shots, grazing Trump’s ear, before being killed by Secret Service snipers.