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British man indicted in alleged threat against Donald Trump in Las Vegas

The British man who was arrested in connection with an alleged threat against Donald Trump at a Las Vegas rally was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday.

Michael Steven Sandford, 20, who came to the United States from England 18 months ago, was charged with two counts of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, and one count of impeding and disrupting the orderly conduct of government business and official functions.

Sandford is to be arraigned on the felony charges July 6 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cam Ferenbach and faces up to 10 years in prison on each count if convicted.

Sandford, who authorities said had been living out of his car with an expired visa, was ordered held without bail last week as a danger to the community and a flight risk. He is alleged to have told authorities that he wanted to kill Trump.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Grimmer said in court last week that Sandford has had mental health issues and suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, an autism disorder. Those with the condition have difficulty with social interactions and show a restricted range of behaviors.

Sandford was arrested June 18 at TI, the site of the Trump rally, after he tried to grab a police officer’s gun in an attempt to shoot the Republican presidential candidate, according to a federal complaint.

The defendant told a U.S. Secret Service agent that he drove to Las Vegas from California in his black 2007 BMW to kill Trump, the complaint alleges.

According to the complaint, Sandford said he thought he saw the officer’s 9 mm Glock pistol in an unlocked position and figured that would be the easiest way to acquire a gun and shoot Trump.

Sandford, who indicated he had been planning to kill Trump for about a year, said he thought he could fire one to two rounds at the candidate before being killed by law enforcement, the complaint alleges.

The day before the Trump rally, the complaint states, Sandford went to a Las Vegas gun range and took shooting lessons with a handgun.

He told authorities that he lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, when he first came to the United States and eventually moved to the Ontario/San Bernardino area in Southern California.

Sandford, who does not have a prior criminal record, was unemployed and being supported financially by his mother in England, according to authorities.

He is being represented by the federal public defender’s office.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Find @JGermanRJ on Twitter.

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