Ryan Routh is formally charged with attempted murder against Trump

Federal prosecutors have formally charged Ryan Routh with the attempted murder of former President Donald Trump after a letter was leaked where the suspect admitted that he intended to assassinate the Republican candidate.

A federal grand jury in Miami returned the indictment against the suspect, who is accused of attempting to kill the former president at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15.

The indictment adds three new charges, including attempted murder of a major presidential candidate, for which Routh could face a life sentence, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer.

These three federal charges are in addition to the two other firearms charges he already faces. The new indictment comes just a day after Trump publicly requested that the Department of Justice drop the prosecution for Floridian authorities to take the case, promising harsher punishments against Routh.

The new indictment comes in the wake of the revelation of a manifesto in which Routh not only admitted he wanted to kill Trump but offered a $150,000 reward for anyone who would "complete the job" of assassinating the Republican candidate.

Prosecutors at a court hearing on Monday and Attorney General Merrick Garland, who addressed the case at a news conference Tuesday afternoon, had already anticipated the DOJ's move.

"Violence targeting public officials endangers everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will use every available tool to hold Ryan Routh accountable for the attempted assassination of former President Trump charged in the indictment," Garland said. "The Justice Department will not tolerate violence that strikes at the heart of our democracy, and we will find and hold accountable those who perpetrate it. This must stop."

According to the official version, Routh had been hiding in some bushes for more than twelve hours in possession of an AK-47 and a bag where he had stored, among other things, a GoPro with which he presumably wanted to record his planned attack on Trump, who was playing on the field at the time.

Routh's alleged plan was frustrated by a Secret Service agent who opened fire on the suspect. Routh fled the site to be captured by the authorities thanks to the collaboration of a witness who gave key details about the car he used to escape.

This is the second assassination attempt against Trump in less than two months. The first was during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July, where a shooter nearly killed the former president, who suffered a gunshot wound to his ear.