After an assassination attempt on Donald Trump and a second attempt that was probably foiled, there is great nervousness in the US election campaign. The arrest of a man shortly before a Trump appearance is now raising questions.
The arrest of an armed man outside a campaign rally for Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump is puzzling. On Saturday before Trump’s appearance in southern California, the police stopped a man who wanted to drive a car into the area during an access control.
Local Sheriff Chad Bianco later said the man was carrying two unregistered guns and ammunition, as well as various passports and driver’s licenses with different names. The car was also not registered and the license plate was “homemade”.
According to police, there are indications that the man belongs to a group comparable to the “Reichsbürger” in Germany. The 49-year-old was temporarily taken into custody for weapons law violations. He was released on bail shortly afterwards, Bianco said. The investigation was still ongoing.
Trump was not in danger
The arrest occurred before Trump even arrived at the rally site. The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting Trump, emphasized that the ex-president was not in danger. However, Sheriff Bianco was convinced – without citing any concrete evidence – that the police had “prevented something bad” and probably thwarted a third assassination attempt on Trump.
After the suspect’s release, several US journalists spoke to the man, who rejected the accusation of an attack plot as nonsense. Rather, he was a big Trump fan, an acquaintance of the man told the Daily Mail. The New York Post quoted security sources as saying that the Secret Service considered it unlikely that the man wanted to assassinate Trump. The Federal Police FBI is not investigating the incident as a possible assassination attempt. As a member of a right-wing extremist group, the suspect probably only carried the weapons for “personal defense,” the tabloid reported.
In mid-July, a gunman shot Trump from a nearby roof at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, wounding the Republican in the ear. The perpetrator was shot by security forces and a visitor died. The Secret Service also assumes that it thwarted a second assassination attempt on Trump in Florida shortly afterwards.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
