A British teenager arrested at a Donald Trump rally after going for a police officer’s gun told investigators he wanted to kill the US presidential hopeful.
Michael Sandford, 19, tried to grab the weapon from the officer after asking for the Republican candidate’s autograph at a Las Vegas casino.
The teenager told investigators he had been planning the assassination for a year, including spending time on a firing range in recent days, and was convinced he would die in the attempt.
Sandford, who was carrying a UK driver’s licence, appeared in a US court in Nevada charged with an act of violence on restricted grounds.
The British national had lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, for around 18 months and had driven to San Bernardino in California before travelling to Las Vegas on Thursday.
The teenager told police he visited the Battlefield Vegas shooting range on Friday where he fired off 20 rounds from a 9mm Glock pistol to learn how to use it.
On Saturday he went to the Treasure Island Casino where Trump addressed a rally of 1,500 people amid tight security.
After approaching a police officer and asking for an autograph he grabbed the handle of the officer’s gun.
He said he also had a ticket for a Trump event that evening as back-up in case his first attempt failed.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are providing assistance following an arrest of a British national in Las Vegas.”
