A US federal court has sentenced Ryan Wesley Routh to life in prison for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump during the 2024 US presidential campaign, concluding one of the most serious security cases involving a major political figure in recent American history.

The sentence was handed down on February 4 by US District Judge Aileen M. Cannon in Fort Pierce, Florida, following Routh’s conviction by a federal jury on all five counts in the indictment. The court imposed a sentence of life imprisonment plus an additional 84 months, reflecting the gravity of the charges, which included attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assault on a federal officer, and multiple firearms offenses.

According to the US Department of Justice, Routh, 59, carried out extensive planning and surveillance ahead of the attempted attack, which took place at Trump’s golf resort in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2024. At the time, Trump was actively campaigning for a return to the White House.

Prosecutors said Routh positioned himself in dense shrubbery near the perimeter of the resort, where he waited for several hours while armed with a scoped semi-automatic rifle. He allegedly aimed the weapon through a fence line in anticipation of Trump’s arrival. The attempt was thwarted when a US Secret Service agent detected the rifle barrel protruding through the fence and immediately opened fire. Routh fled the scene before Trump came into view and was later arrested on a nearby highway.

In delivering the sentence, Judge Cannon emphasized the seriousness........

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