WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A man who allegedly attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump is now facing two federal gun charges in Florida, according to documents released Monday.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, faces charges of possessing a firearm as a felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He was arrested Sunday after a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle barrel protruding from a fence at Trump International Golf Club in South Florida and confronted him.

At the time, Routh was positioned 300 to 500 yards away from Trump, who was moving between holes five and six on the course with a donor when gunshots went off. Trump was unharmed.

At a news conference on Monday, Ronald Rowe, the acting Secret Service director, told reporters that the man "did not have Trump in his sightline," and did not fire or get off any shots at the agents.

Court records indicate that the suspect's cellphone was near the golf course for nearly 12 hours leading up to the incident.

The suspect, identified as the author of a 2023 self-published book titled Ukraine's Unwinnable War, referred to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot as a "catastrophe" perpetrated by Donald Trump and his "undemocratic posse," according to an NPR report. In the book, he also told readers they were "free to assassinate Trump."

The suspect's motive remains unclear as the FBI continues its thorough investigation into his background. Enditem

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