A young Briton who would have wanted to kill Trump indicted
A young Briton, arrested for attempting to kill US presidential candidate Donald Trump, has been formally charged with illegal possession of weapons but not attempted homicide.
The suspect's father told British media that his son suffered from Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.
Michael Sandford, 20, has been charged with illegal possession of weapons by a clandestine and obstructing the smooth running of public affairs, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office in Las Vegas (Nevada, west) published Wednesday evening.
The young man, who resided illegally in the United States, had tried to seize the weapon of an agent of the Secret Service, the service of protection of personalities, during a meeting of Republican Donald Trump on June 18 in Las Vegas before being overpowered by law enforcement.
Although an initial complaint related to his intention to kill Trump, his indictment does not relate to a possible assassination attempt.
The young man told investigators that he had gone the day before the meeting to a shooting range in Las Vegas to learn how to shoot a gun because he had never used one.
He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $ 250,000 fine for each of the charges.
The young man suffers from Asperger's syndrome and his parents have warned US authorities that they are worried about him, according to British media.
Michael Sandford was not interested in politics and would have been unable to name a US president, his father, Paul Davey, told Portsmouth News.
"He has never shown violent behavior before, (...) he would never have hurt a fly - he even told us not to use aerosol because he did not want them. flies die, ”he told the English newspaper.
Someone must have "blackmailed him or ordered him to do that," said the suspect's father.
Michael Sandford, still in custody, is due to appear next week.
