Trump assassination attempt: FBI sniper says suspect’s hiding spot near golf course offered clear shot at POTUS

“It’s close and unobstructed,” Schnelle said.

The agent explained that the SKS rifle recovered from the scene had an effective range of roughly 350 meters (1,150 feet), nearly ten times the distance from the hiding spot to the green. A competent marksman could have easily hit a human-sized target using the rifle’s iron sights, and the scope recovered from the scene would have made the shot even easier, Schnelle said.

Thursday marked the sixth day of testimony in the trial of Ryan Routh, who prosecutors allege spent weeks planning to kill Trump before pointing a rifle through the shrubbery as the former president played golf on September 15, 2024.

Routh has pleaded not guilty to attempting to assassinate Trump, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple firearm violations. US District Judge Aileen Cannon initially scheduled over three weeks for the trial at the Fort Pierce federal courthouse. Prosecutors expect to rest their case on Friday.

Routh, representing himself, is scheduled to begin presenting his defence on Monday, planning to call a firearms expert and two character witnesses. It remains unclear whether he will testify.

On Thursday, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Detective Kenny Smith testified that a man resembling Routh visited Palm Beach International Airport about a week before the alleged attack.  Smith described how security footage tracked the man entering a parking garage, walking to an atrium, watching the Trump plane take off, and then leaving.

During cross-examination, Routh asked whether photographing airplanes at the airport was illegal. Smith confirmed it was not. He also acknowledged footage showing the man speaking with a security guard about an unattended bag, though that portion was not used in the prosecution’s questioning.

A Secret Service agent previously testified that he spotted Routh before Trump appeared on the course. Routh allegedly aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, leading Routh to drop the weapon and flee without firing a shot.

A witness further told the court that after hearing gunshots, they saw someone running and later confirmed Routh’s identity after police detained him from a nearby interstate with the help of a helicopter.

The case comes just nine weeks after Trump survived another assassination attempt while campaigning in Pennsylvania, where a gunman fired eight shots, grazing Trump’s ear, before being fatally shot by a Secret Service counter-sniper.

(With inputs from AP)