A Las Vegas man armed with multiple weapons was arrested near a campaign rally for US presidential candidate Donald Trump in the California city of Coachella, police said.
Police officers stationed at the rally on Saturday spotted a suspicious black SUV and, during a search, found loaded rifles and a handgun, along with a large amount of ammunition.
Authorities say they also found several passports and driver’s licenses on the arrested 49-year-old, Vem Miller, and that the car had a fake license plate.
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He was arrested on suspicion of illegal possession of weapons and ammunition and was later released on $5,000 bail.
His hearing is scheduled for January 2nd of the following year.
The US Secret Service said Trump “was not in danger,” nor were other rally attendees.
However, local Sheriff Chad Bianco called the suspect a “lunatic” and said he was convinced police had prevented a third attempt on Trump’s life.
However, he added that it was impossible to prove what was going on in the arrested man’s head.
The suspect told authorities he was a member of the Sovereign Citizens group, the sheriff said.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a militant group. It’s just a group that doesn’t believe in the government and its services,” he said.
Chad Bianco is a Republican who has previously expressed support for Trump.
A federal law enforcement official told CBS News there was no indication this was a planned attempt on Trump’s life.
The incident occurred an hour before Trump was due to take the stage, confirming the intense security operation around him and the dangers facing the former president, just over three weeks before the election.
Trump has been the target of two assassination attempts earlier this year, and the security ring around him has been significantly increased.
In mid-July of this year, a bullet grazed Trump’s ear and slightly injured him while he was giving a speech in Butler, Pennsylvania, but a supporter of the former president was killed in the audience.
The attacker was killed, and federal security services then began investigations into the failures, leading to the resignation of Secret Service Chief Kimberly Cheatle.
Another man is currently in jail after being arrested outside Trump’s International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in September.
The man was spotted hiding in the bushes near the golf course, with the barrel of a rifle sticking out of the bushes.
Since the first assassination attempt, Trump has been behind bulletproof glass when giving outdoor campaign speeches.
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Source: Blic
Photo: EPA-EFE/GRANT BALDWIN