Suspected gunman charged in apparent Trump assassination attempt

• He was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
• Routh, who multiple reports say formerly lived in Greensboro, N.C., but at some point relocated to Hawaii, appeared before Magistrate Judge Ryon M. McCabe on Monday.
• Officials said he could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the first charge and possibly five years if convicted on the second, the Associated Press reports. During the hearing, he said he was working and bringing in around $3,000 a month but had no savings.

The latest: Routh invoked his right to an attorney, Jeffrey Veltri, a special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Miami field office, said during an afternoon news conference Monday.

• Routh was previously convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010 and therefore was prohibited from possessing a firearm, Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said.
• Routh was also the subject of a 2019 FBI investigation based on a tip that he was allegedly in possession of a firearm as a felon. The bureau interviewed the alleged complainant, who did not verify giving the initial information, and the case was closed.

State of play: Routh was on the public side of the golf course fence, authorities said during Monday's briefing. Geolocation data from Routh's cell phone indicates he was at the site for around 12 hours, the criminal complaint against him says.

• A Secret Service agent spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence ahead of where Trump was playing golf and the agent "immediately engaged" with the person, who fled, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Sunday.
• "The agent who was visually sweeping the area ... saw the subject armed with what he perceived to be a rifle, and immediately discharged his firearm," Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe said in Monday's press briefing.
• Routh did not have a line of sight to Trump and "did not fire or get off any shots at our agents," Rowe added.
• "The president wasn't even really supposed to go there. It was not on his official schedule," Rowe said. "And so we put together a security plan, and that security plan worked."

Catch up quick: Routh was taken into custody on the highway about 45 miles north of Trump International Golf Club after a witness provided a picture of his license plate and vehicle to law enforcement.

• Authorities found "an AK-47 style rifle with a scope," two backpacks and "a GoPro which he was going to use to take pictures," in bushes where Routh was discovered, Bradshaw said during Sunday's briefing.
• Bradshaw, speaking to Fox News Monday, said authorities also found "ceramic tile" in the backpacks, which he said could have been "an attempt to have him have some body armor ... hanging on the fence, in case somebody did shoot at him."

Worth noting: Several outlets, including the New York Times and Semafor, had interviewed Routh in the past about his efforts to help Ukraine in its war against Russia.

• He characterized the conflict as "evil against good," in a 2022 interview with Newsweek Romania, saying he initially wanted to fight but had no military experience.
• His son, speaking to CNN, described the Routh as a "loving and caring father."

Flashback: Routh had posted online statements that indicated he was a Trump supporter in 2016, but he later expressed support for a ticket involving former Republican presidential primary candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley.

• Records indicate that Routh voted in the North Carolina Democratic primary in March and made more than a dozen small contributions to candidates through ActBlue dating to 2019.

Zoom out: This is the second time in around two months that authorities have investigated an apparent attempt on Trump's life.

• President Biden condemned the alleged assassination attempt, saying, "There is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country."

What's next: A bond hearing was set for Sept. 23 and a probable cause hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 30. That hearing is dependent on the government securing an indictment on the charges, the Associated Press reports.

Go deeper: Top Republicans and Democrats react to apparent assassination attempt on Trump

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details provided during Monday's press briefing.