A British man has admitted to planning to assassinate presidential candidate Donald Trump. 20-year-old Michael Steven Stanford was arrested after trying to grab a gun held by a police officer at a Trump campaign rally in Las Vegas, with him later telling authorities that his plan was “to shoot and kill Trump”.
Stanford, who had been living in the US illegally, had reportedly driven from his home in New Jersey to Treasure Island casino, with the sole intention of killing Donald Trump. After arriving in Vegas on June 16th, he practiced shooting on a driving range – his first time firing a gun – in order to prepare for his assassination attempt.
The following day he appeared at the campaign rally and, after asking a police officer whether he could approach Trump and obtain an autograph, he instead reached out for the officer’s firearm in an attempt to kill the Republican presidential nominee. Stanford, who was born in Surrey, said that he would attempt to assassinate Trump again when he is eventually released from custody.
The British government confirmed that Stanford was a UK citizen, with him having lived in the US illegally after his visa had expired. After appearing in court on Monday, the court heard that he had Asperger’s syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder and also suffered from anorexia, with his mother claiming that he had once escaped from a hospital in England where he was being treated for his medical conditions. The court has not yet decided on what punishment the 20-year-old will face.
