Suspect in Trump assassination attempt charged with gun crimes

A man accused of attempting to assassinate Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump appeared in court on Monday and was charged with federal gun crimes, News.Az reports citing Deutsche Welle.

The man, identified as Ryan R., has been charged with possession of a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possession of a fireman with an "obliterated" serial number, according to the US media.

Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek a grand jury indictment.

In his brief appearance in court in West Palm Beach, Florida, the man answered perfunctory questions about his job status and income.

What do we know about the assasination attempt?

At about 1:30 p.m. local time (1730 GMT) on Sunday, a US Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of a rifle sticking out of the bushes on the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach.

The agent fired and the suspect dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, authorities said. He was later stopped by law enforcement in a neighboring county.

Police identified the would-be attacker as Ryan R. He is reportedly a self-employed affordable housing builder based in Hawaii, with an arrest record spanning decades.

The suspect was a staunch supporter of Ukraine and regularly posted about politics and current events on social media, including criticism of Trump, US media said.

News.Az