Donald Trump Shooting Suspect Allegedly Was on Golf Course for 12 Hours

The arrest of the perpetrator of the shooting attempt against Donald Trump in Florida. (Wikimedia Commons/Martin County Sheriff's Office)

JAKARTA - A man who allegedly hid for nearly 12 hours in an apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course was charged with two firearms-related crimes Monday, a day after authorities said he was seen in the bushes with a rifle as the former U.S. president played nearby.

Trump's visit to his West Palm Beach golf course was not on his public schedule, acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe told reporters Monday afternoon, and it was unclear whether the suspect knew Trump would be there.

The Secret Service opened fire after an agent sweeping the course saw the barrel of a rifle sticking out of the bushes a few hundred yards from the former president, who was on the fairway of the fifth hole.

The gunman fled in a sport utility vehicle, according to court documents Monday. Officers found a loaded assault rifle with binoculars, a digital camera and a plastic bag of food left behind.

A suspect, identified Monday as Ryan Routh, 58, was arrested about 40 minutes later as he drove north on Interstate 95. His license plate was reportedly stolen from another car.

Records show that phones linked to Routh were found on the golf course starting at 1:59 a.m. Sunday morning, 11 1/2 hours before the incident.

The suspect was on the “public side” of a fence along the perimeter of the golf course, Rowe said, according to Reuters on Sept. 17.

The suspect never saw the Republican presidential nominee in the Nov. 5 election within sight and did not fire any shots.

Still, the incident raises questions about how a gunman could have gotten so close to Trump, just two months after another gunman grazed his ear with a bullet during a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Routh appeared briefly in federal court in West Palm Beach on Monday, where he was charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. More charges could follow.

The defendant invoked his right to an attorney when investigators attempted to question him, Rowe said.

Trump has expressed skepticism about the amount of U.S. aid to Ukraine and has vowed to quickly