A suspect in a September 2024 attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, FL, has requested a hearing to dismiss federal legal defense team. A legal document states: "Ryan Routh respectfully requests the Court set a hearing to terminatethe representation of his appointed counsel and their office." Ryan Wesley Routh, who is alleged to have surveilled Trump for 12 hours on his Florida golf course and expressed a desire to assassinate him, has been indicted tonight on an attempted murder charge. Initially, he was charged with two federal firearms offences. The escalated charges are detailed in a five-count indictment, indicating that the United States Justice Department believes he meticulously planned to kill the Republican nominee. He allegedly aimed a rifle through the bushes surrounding Trump's West Palm Beach golf course while Trump was playing. Prosecutors said Routh left behind a note outlining his intentions. Court documents reveal that the case has been assigned to Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed federal judge who faced intense scrutiny over her handling of a criminal case accusing Trump of illegally stockpiling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. She dismissed that case in July of 2024. The attempted assassination indictment was hinted at during a court hearing on Monday, where prosecutors successfully argued that Routh, aged 58, should remain in custody due to being a flight risk and a threat to public safety. Prosecutors claimed that the suspect had penned a handwritten note outlining his intentions to assassinate Trump, referring to his actions as a failed "assassination attempt on Donald Trump" and offering $150,000 to anyone who could "finish the job." This note was found in a box that the suspect, Routh, had allegedly dropped off at an unidentified witness's home months prior to his September 15 arrest. Upon discovering the note, the witness photographed the front page, addressed "Dear World," and contacted law enforcement following the attempted assassination. Prosecutors also revealed that Routh had kept a handwritten list of venues where Trump had appeared or was expected to be present in August, September, and October in his car. Routh faces a potential life sentence if convicted of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate. The indictment also includes charges of assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and the two original firearms charges he faced last week. The attempt on Trump's life was foiled when a Secret Service agent spotted a partially hidden face and a rifle barrel protruding through the golf course fence line ahead of Trump's location. The agent fired in Routh's direction, prompting him to flee before being apprehended by law enforcement in a nearby county. Routh did not discharge any rounds and Trump was not in his line of sight, according to officials. However, he left behind a digital camera, a rucksack, a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope, and a plastic bag filled with food. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.