Ryan Wesley Routh, the would-be assassin who attempted to murder former President Donald Trump last month, appeared in court on Monday for an arraignment hearing on several federal criminal charges.

Routh pleaded not guilty to five felony counts, including attempted assassination, assault on a federal officer, and firearms-related violations, according to The Hill.

The suspect was arrested by sheriff's deputies shortly after he fled the scene where he was spotted and fired upon by a Secret Service agent as he lay in wait with a rifle to ambush and kill the former president at his private golf course in South Florida on September 15.

Routh criminally indicted for assassination attempt

The Department of Justice announced last week that a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Routh that included charges of "attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer (a Secret Service Agent), felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number."

He had already been ordered detained without bond pending trial and remains in custody, and faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in federal prison if convicted of the most serious charges against him.

"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," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "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."

"Routh is charged with attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, which strikes at the very heart of our democratic system," FBI Director Christopher Wray said. "The FBI is continuing our investigation into this alleged plot and will use the full weight and resources of the FBI to uncover and provide as much information as possible about what led to the events in West Palm Beach. In our country, we have to hold accountable people who resort to violence."

The arraignment hearing, trial fast-tracked on the schedule

The Hill reported that Routh's arraignment hearing on Monday was brief and lasted only about five minutes -- just long enough for a magistrate judge to review the criminal charges and for Routh to enter a plea of not guilty while his attorney requested a jury trial.

The outlet noted that the suspect was seen smirking at reporters in the courtroom and nodding in acknowledgement of the sketch artist while waiting for the judge to arrive.

Coincidentally enough, the would-be assassin's case was randomly assigned to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the same Trump-appointed judge who recently dismissed the federal classified documents case brought against the former president by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

According to the New York Post, Cannon has fast-tracked Routh's criminal trial and set a date of November 18 for the proceedings to begin, "or as soon thereafter as the case may be called," in an order issued on Tuesday.

That was deemed "highly unusual" by the media outlet, given that criminal trials such as this typically take months or even years after the initial arrest to end up in front of a jury.

Second assassination attempt in two months

The Post noted that Routh's failed attempt to assassinate former President Trump came just over two months after a similarly failed attempt on Trump's life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.

In that first attempted assassination, would-be killer Thomas Matthew Crooks gained access to a nearby rooftop at the outdoor event and opened fire with a rifle, just barely missing Trump and grazing his ear while killing one rally-goer and seriously wounding two others before he himself was taken out by a Secret Service countersniper.