'Trump death bid' Briton charged in US

Updated

A British man accused of attempting to grab a police officer's gun in a bid to kill Donald Trump has been charged in America.

Michael Sandford, 20, from Dorking, Surrey, was arrested at a rally in a Las Vegas casino after going for the weapon as he asked for the presidential hopeful's autograph on June 18.

Sandford, who was in America without permission, later told police he wanted to kill the presumptive Republican nominee, according to the Secret Service.

US Attorney Daniel Bogden said a grand jury had charged him with disrupting an official function and two firearms counts on Wednesday.

The charges could attract a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

Sandford told investigators he expected to die in the attempt, which he had been planning for a year, the Las Vegas court previously heard.

He arrived in the city on June 17, when he went to a local shooting range where he reportedly learned how to use a gun for the first time.

Sandford remains in federal custody.

Advertisement