AGENCIES | The suspected gunman in the apparent assassination attempt of former US President Donald Trump has appeared before a court in Florida.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, is charged with federal gun crimes - possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obstructed serial number.
Trump was unharmed after being rushed to safety - it is the second apparent attempt on his life in two months.
It has led to questions about the safety of US presidential candidates - with some lawmakers calling for candidates to have additional security.
US President Joe Biden says the Secret Service needs more help and may need extra personnel.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says people deserve the truth about how a would-be assassin was able to get so close to Trump.
Despite his light and smiley demeanour before the hearing began, suspect Routh was expressionless as the court proceedings got underway, almost always answering "Yes, your honour" to the judge's questions.
Routh was brought into the courtroom just before 10:00 (14:00 GMT) and seated next to a series of other defendants also appearing in court today.
During that time, he looked around the small courtroom at the assembled press and others who had come to witness the second man in just two months who has allegedly tried to threaten the former president.
Routh was taken out of the court when other defendants' hearings began.
The brief court hearing in the tiny federal Palm Beach courthouse featured some rather personal details about suspect Routh, as he was asked a series of questions to determine whether he qualified for a public defender.
He was asked how much money he had in his bank account, to which he replied “zero funds”. The North Carolina native told the court that he made about $3,000 a month, and only had two assets - two trucks in Hawaii worth about $1,000 each.
The suspect detained in the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump did not fire any shots on the golf course, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has confirmed.
In an interview , externalon Fox News, Bradshaw said a Secret Service agent opened fire after seeing a rifle poking through bushes, and it is not known what those bullets struck.
He also said ceramic tiles were found inside backpacks where the suspect was spotted, "which I think was an attempt to have a body armour-type thing hanging on the fence".
"We had this place surrounded with helicopters and dogged within minutes," he said.
Bradshaw said among the questions authorities are trying to answer is where the suspect was staying in Florida and how he got there, given it's believed he was living in Hawaii.
"Other than that, he's in our jail, in the federal holding facility."
