A 12-person jury on 23/9 found 59-year-old Ryan Routh guilty of plotting to assassinate a presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and firearms charges after a 12-day trial in Florida.

As the jury left the courtroom, Routh grabbed a pen from the table and attempted to stab himself in the neck. Officers quickly subdued him and removed him from the courtroom.

The pen Routh used was a flexible pen, designed to prevent defendants from using it as a weapon, so he did not break the skin or injure himself, according to a source.

Officers restrain Ryan Routh as he tries to stab himself in the neck with a pen during his trial on 23/9. Illustration: AP

As Routh was being escorted out, his daughter, Sara Routh, yelled, “Dad, I love you, don’t do anything, I’ll get you out, he didn’t hurt anybody," and claimed the case against her father was fabricated. She was then escorted out of the courtroom.

Routh was brought back into the courtroom and handcuffed. The judge announced sentencing for 18/12. He faces life in prison for the assassination plot.

President Trump told reporters the case "was handled very well”. “This is very important, this can't be allowed to happen to anybody, not just me," Trump said. "Justice has been served. I really appreciate the judge, the jury and everyone involved.”

According to the indictment, on 15/9/2024, Routh was hiding in a cluster of trees at the West Palm Beach International Golf Club with a rifle. Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, was golfing there with close advisor Steve Witkoff.

Ryan Routh is arrested by Florida police on a highway near the West Palm Beach golf club in September 2024. Photo: Martin County Sheriff's Office

A Secret Service agent spotted the rifle barrel protruding from the bushes and fired 4 shots at the suspected location. Routh did not return fire and fled the scene, later being apprehended on an interstate highway.

Though not a lawyer, Routh chose to represent himself and pleaded not guilty. Federal prosecutors said he had been planning the assassination for weeks and had prepared meticulously.

Routh was a construction worker in North Carolina who later moved to Hawaii. He described himself as a mercenary and had attempted to recruit people from Afghanistan, Moldova, and Taiwan to fight in Ukraine.

Routh was arrested in 2002 for eluding a traffic stop and barricading himself against police in Greensboro, North Carolina. He had an automatic rifle and a 25 cm-long explosive device. In 2010, police found hundreds of stolen items in his home. He received suspended sentences in both cases.

Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, AP)