A man arrested after an apparent assassination attempt targeting former US president Donald Trump has appeared in federal court in Florida, charged with gun crimes.
Ryan Wesley Routh faces charges of possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
He appeared briefly in federal court in West Palm Beach on Monday morning, local time, where he answered basic questions about his work status and income.
Shackled and wearing a blue jumpsuit, Routh smiled as he spoke with a public-defender lawyer and reviewed documents ahead of his initial appearance.
Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues.
Trump was playing golf at his course in West Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon when a US Secret Service agent spotted a rifle barrel poking through the bushes, authorities said.
The gunman was about one or two holes away — approximately 400 metres — from where Trump was playing.
One of the agents fired at least four rounds at the gunman, but the man managed to drive away.
The suspect was later stopped driving northbound on Interstate 95 after crossing into Martin County, about a 72-kilometre drive north of Trump’s golf course.
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AP/ABC