Michael Steven Sandford, a 20-year-old British man was arrested at Donald Trump’s weekend rally in Las Vegas. He had tried to grab a police officer’s gun to kill the presidential candidate. Sanford had been planning an assassination attempt on Trump for over a year.
During the rally, he approached a Las Vegas police officer at the campaign stop and said he wanted Trump’s autograph, but tried to snatch his weapon instead.
Sanford was living out of a car, illegally in the US, after overstaying his Visa. He has been charged with an an act of violence on restricted grounds, and has been denied bail.
His assigned public defender said that although Sanford had not been diagnosed with a mental illness, he was autistic and had previously attempted suicide, and his mother claimed that he had been treated for OCD and anorexia when he was younger. His defender argued that he should be sent to a halfway house since he did not have a criminal history.
The judge, however, maintained that he should stay in detention ahead of 5 July. Sanford has not entered a plea.
Sanford told officers that he was convinced he would die in the assassination attempt. He also added he had reserved a ticket at a Trump rally in Phoenix, as well, as a back up plan.
(With inputs from AP).
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