LOS ANGELES // A British man has been charged for attempting to grab a police officer’s gun at a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas in an apparent bid to kill the Republican presidential nominee.
Michael Sandford, 19, tried to disarm the officer at Saturday’s rally at the Mystere Theatre in the Treasure Island Casino before being overpowered, according to a complaint filed in federal court in Nevada.
It said the teenager told a secret service agent after his arrest that he had driven from California to Las Vegas “to kill Trump”, and had been to a range a day earlier to learn to shoot as he had not fired a gun before.
“Sandford acknowledged that he would likely only be able to fire one to two rounds and stated he was convinced he would be killed by law enforcement during his attempt on Trump’s life,” the complaint said.
It added that Sandford told investigators he had purchased tickets for a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, where he “would try again to kill Trump” in the event his plan in Las Vegas failed.
The prosecutor’s office said Sandford was ordered to be held without bond, as he was considered dangerous and represented a flight risk.
The UK foreign office was “providing assistance” in the case, a spokesman said.
The complaint said Sandford had told investigators he had been in the United States for about 18 months, and had lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, before travelling to California.
Sandford told investigators that he had targeted officer Ameel Jacob’s gun because it was in an unlocked position and would be the easiest way to gain access to a weapon at the rally where those attending had to go through metal detectors.
He struck up a conversation with the officer, telling him he wanted an autograph from Mr Trump before lunging at his gun and grabbing the firearm with both hands, prosecutors said.
Sandford allegedly told the secret service that he had been plotting to kill Mr Trump for about a year and finally decided to act on Saturday, as “he finally felt confident to do it”.
“Sandford further stated that if he were on the street tomorrow, he would try this again,” according to the complaint.
His arrest came amid one of the most combative US presidential campaigns in recent history, dominated by violent rhetoric, with Mr Trump lashing out at Mexicans, Muslims and other groups.
The real estate billionaire enjoys secret service protection but also has his own private security detail, which has been accused of using unnecessary force to remove people from events.
* Agence France-Presse
