News / Politics

Man tried to kill Trump at Las Vegas rally

Tuesday, 21 June 2016 12:13 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 21 June 2016 12:19 AM ]

A man has been arrested over an attempt to assassinate Donald Trump in a Las Vegas rally.

A man has attempted to assassinate presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at one of his rallies in Las Vegas, according to a federal complaint.

The suspect identified as Michael Steven Sandford, 19, was arrested Saturday at Treasure Island after trying to grab at the holster and handle of a gun of a Las Vegas police officer.

Sandford, who had a UK driver’s license, said he had been plotting to kill Trump for about a year and that he thought the business mogul could be killed by one or two rounds before officers kill him for his act.

He told a US Secret Service agent that he had driven to Las Vegas from California on Thursday to kill Trump, according to the complaint filed on Monday.

He also said that he even went to a Las Vegas gun range on Friday in order to learn how to fire a gun, noting he fired almost 20 rounds from a 9 millimeter Glock pistol, the complaint said, adding he had never fired a gun before.

Sanford said, during the rally, he thought he saw the officer’s gun unlocked, adding he figured acquiring a gun this way would be the easiest, the complaint alleged.

Sandford “knowingly attempted to engage in an act of physical violence against Donald J. Trump ... by attempting to seize a firearm from Las Vegas Metropolitan Department Officer,” according to the complaint.

He also said that he had bought tickets for another rally in Phoenix, Arizona, later that day, in order to kill Trump, if the first attempt had been unsuccessful.

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