US sheriff says ‘probably prevented’ third Trump assassination attempt

Suspect faces firearms charges but denies he tried to harm former US president and Republican candidate.

A United States sheriff has said law enforcement officers likely prevented a third assassination attempt against Donald Trump after a man was arrested with unregistered firearms near the Republican candidate’s California campaign rally at the weekend.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday afternoon, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said deputies stopped the man at a security perimeter outside the former president’s event in the city of Coachella a day earlier.

Bianco said the suspect “showed up with multiple passports with different names, an unregistered vehicle with [a] fake license plate, and loaded firearms”.

“If you’re asking me right now, I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt,” the sheriff told reporters.

The man, identified as 49-year-old Nevada resident Vem Miller, was taken into custody without incident, the sheriff’s office said in a statement earlier in the day.

Miller faces gun charges after he was found in possession of two guns and a high-capacity magazine, authorities said. He was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court on January 2, 2025.

In an interview with Southern California News Group, Miller – who said he is a Trump supporter – denied trying to harm the former president.

“These accusations are complete bulls**t,” Miller said. “I’m an artist, I’m the last person that would cause any violence and harm to anybody.”

Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press news agency on the arrest.

“The US Secret Service assesses that the incident did not impact protective operations and former President Trump was not in any danger,” the US Attorney’s Office said in a statement on Sunday. “While no federal arrest has been made at this time, the investigation is ongoing.”

The incident comes just weeks after authorities in late September charged a man with attempting to assassinate Trump at his Florida golf course.

Prosecutors have accused Ryan Routh of intending to kill the former president as he golfed at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on September 15.

Routh has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

The arrest in Florida marked the second apparent assassination attempt against Trump in the past few months. In July, he was shot in the ear after a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

That shooting prompted fierce criticism and questions about the security protocols that were put in place for the event.

Last month, the US Secret Service acknowledged a series of failures it made during the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, including “deficiencies” in advanced security planning and poor coordination with local police.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies