GettyIt’s fair to say that the U.S. presidential campaign has been an ultimately toxic affair, stirring up a whole lot of fear and a whole lot of hate.
Because of this, the presidential hopefuls’ road to the White House has been marred by violence, with riots becoming a bit of a regularity – so it was only a matter of time before it reached boiling point.
APA British man was accused of attempting to grab an officer’s gun in a bid to kill Donald Trump on Saturday.
Michael Sandford, 20, was arrested at a rally in Las Vegas casino after trying to get hold of the weapon, as he asked for Trump’s autograph.
Police have now revealed the first words of the man who’s been accused of trying to murder the Republican candidate. After being arrested, his first words to officers were: “If he were on the street tomorrow, he would try this again”.
BREAKING: Man tried to grab cop's gun to kill Trump, feds say https://t.co/BdEPdhl8xx pic.twitter.com/oroI4Iigo0
— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) June 20, 2016
He went on to tell police that he had been plotting to assassinate the Republican candidate for the past year and had taken shooting lessons in preparation.
Yesterday, the British national was denied bail at a court in Nevada, where he was charged with an act of violence on restricted grounds.
GettyFederal Magistrate Judge George Foley declined to release Sandford over growing concerns that he was a potential danger to the community and ultimately a flight risk.
His defence told the court that he was autistic, with Sandford not entering a plea. His mother also told the judge that he had been treated for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anorexia as a child growing up.
APCourt research identified the fact that Sandford did not have permission to work in the U.S. and was currently unemployed. He had been living in the country for 18 months in Hoboken, New Jersey.
He had driven across the U.S, living in his car en route to Las Vegas on Thursday and visited a shooting range the following day, where he practiced with a 9mm Glock pistol.
GettyThe day after, he went to the Treasure Island Casino, where Trump was addressing a rally of 1,500 supporters.
He asked for an autograph from the billionaire, before allegedly attempting to take a police officer’s holstered gun, then being tackled and escorted away from the venue.
He had also bought a ticket to a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, for later on Saturday as a back-up plan.
With America having a long and proud history of killing off presidents, it’s almost not even too surprising that this happened – although we’d be getting ahead of ourselves if we said The Donald was going to president.
