“Sandford acknowledged that he would likely only be able to fire one to two rounds and stated he was convinced he would be killed by law enforcement during his attempt on Trump’s life”, the complaint said. But instead, Sandford tried to take the officer’s gun, and officers quickly took him into custody.
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Federal Magistrate Judge George Foley said in court Monday that Sandford was a potential danger to the community and a flight risk.
He reportedly told Swierkowski, whose first name is not given, that he had driven to Las Vegas after seeing reports that Mr Trump would be holding an event there.
Sandford is due to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on July 5.
Sanford – who has been living illegally in New Jersey for about 18 months – drove across the United States to San Bernardino, California, and had been living out of his vehicle before travelling on to Las Vegas on Thursday.
Secret Service agents said Sandford went to a Trump rally on Saturday at the Treasure Island Casino and approached a Las Vegas police officer to say he wanted an autograph from Trump.
Sandford was denied bail at a district court in Nevada, where he appeared charged with an act of violence on restricted grounds. A complaint obtained by ABC news claims Sandford, who has a british driver’s license, had been planning to assassinate trump for about a year. Dean was also interviewed by the Secret Service, according to officials.
Asking to get an autograph from the billionaire property tycoon, Sanford allegedly attempted to take a police officer’s holstered gun before being tackled and frogmarched from the venue.
Michael Steven Sandford told a Secret Service agent after his arrest that he had traveled to Las Vegas on Friday from California and then gone to a Las Vegas shooting range on Saturday to learn how to shoot a gun.
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A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are providing assistance following an arrest of a British national in Las Vegas”.
