British Man 'Tried to Assassinate Trump'

He grabbed officer's gun at Las Vegas rally
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 21, 2016 12:30 AM CDT
British Man 'Tried to Assassinate Trump'
Sandford targeted Trump at this Las Vegas rally.   (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

According to court papers, a disturbance at a Donald Trump rally on Saturday was actually an assassination attempt involving an illegal immigrant—from the UK. Michael Steven Sandford, 20, was arrested at the rally at the Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas after allegedly trying to grab a police officer's gun from its holster to shoot Trump, the AP reports. Investigators say Sandford, who came to the US about a year and a half ago and overstayed his visa, told them that he drove to Las Vegas from California to kill Trump and had been planning the assassination for around a year. He said he went to a shooting range the day before the rally to learn how to fire a handgun.

Police say that after he tried to grab the officer's gun, they were able "to quickly take Sandford into custody with little further disruption at the venue" and he was handed over to the Secret Service, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. At a hearing on Monday, a federal judge decided Sandford was a "danger to the community and a risk of non-appearance" and ordered him to be held without bail. According to court papers, Sandford told investigators that he believed he would die during the assassination attempt. His public defender told the court that Sandford has autism and has previously attempted suicide. (More Donald Trump stories.)

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