FBI sniper testifies that hiding spot near golf course was ideal place for man to shoot Trump         

An FBI sniper testified on Thursday about the effectiveness of a hiding spot chosen by a man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course last year.

FBI Special Agent Nicholas Schnelle said the sniper set up along the fence of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach was about 126 feet (38 metres) away from the sixth hole, and it was well hidden by vegetation.

"It's close and unobstructed," Schnelle said.

Schnelle testified that the SKS rifle recovered from the scene has an effective range of about 350 metres (1,150 feet), nearly 10 times the distance from the hiding spot to the green. Any competent marksman would have been able to hit a human-sized target on the green with the rifle's basic iron sights, but the scope recovered from the scene would have made the shot even easier, Schnelle said.

Thursday was the sixth day of testimony in the trial of Ryan Routh, who prosecutors said spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as Trump played golf on September 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.

Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations.