• Ryan Routh convicted of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at a Florida golf course.
• Routh was found guilty of five charges, including assaulting a federal officer.
• The incident occurred during Trump's 2024 campaign as he played golf in West Palm Beach.
• Prosecutors established that Routh had meticulously planned the assassination attempt.
• He faces a potential life sentence following the unanimous jury verdict.

A federal jury found Ryan Routh guilty on Tuesday of attempting to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course on September 15, 2024. Routh, 59, pointed a rifle through a fence while Trump was golfing at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. The jury convicted him on all five charges, including attempted assassination, assault of a federal officer, and various weapons offenses, which could lead to a maximum life sentence, according to CBS News and TRT Global.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence of Routh's extensive planning, including surveillance details and weapons acquisitions. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Browne emphasized that Routh had made several preparations, including staying near the golf course several weeks prior, tracking Trump’s movements, and amassing over 90 hours of surveillance around the venue. The carefully orchestrated plot was branded as "serious and deadly" by the prosecution, according to Al Jazeera and The Hill.

Routh chose to defend himself throughout the process, a decision that was permitted by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon after he expressed dissatisfaction with his court-appointed lawyers. In his defense, Routh argued that merely planning an act does not equate to intent, stating, "It's hard for me to believe that a crime occurred if the trigger was never pulled," which he referenced in his closing argument, according to Los Angeles Times and NPR.

Witnesses, including a Secret Service agent, played a crucial role in providing testimonies that depicted Routh's dire intentions. The agent who intercepted Routh before any shot was fired testified that he spotted Routh aiming at Trump's security detail, compelling him to take defensive action that ultimately prevented injury to the former president, as noted by South China Morning Post and Reuters.

As the verdict was announced, Routh attempted to harm himself in the courtroom, further dramatizing the severity of the situation. His daughter publicly protested the trial's fairness, branding it as “rigged” and asserting that her father posed no actual threat to anyone, highlighting the emotional toll of the case, according to India Times and Channel News Asia.