British man pleads innocence over Donald Trump shooting bid

A British man has pleaded not guilty to attempting to grab a police officer’s gun in a bid to kill Donald Trump.

Michael Sandford, 20, allegedly tried to snatch the weapon during a rally at Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas on June 18.

He is said to have told police he travelled to the Nevada city to kill Mr Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the US presidential election, according to court documents.

Sandford, of Dorking, Surrey, appeared at a federal court in Las Vegas wearing leg irons and a yellow prison uniform with the word ‘detainee’ on the back.

He pleaded not guilty to a charge of disrupting government business and official functions and two charges of being an illegal alien in possession of a gun.

After the charges were read to Sandford, magistrate judge Cam Ferenbach asked him: “Do you understand the nature of the charges against you?”

Sandford replied: “Yes I do.” The judge said: “How do you plead?” Sandford replied: “Not guilty”.

He was remanded in custody and is due to stand trial on August 22.

According to a complaint lodged with the US district court in Nevada, Sandford told a policeman at the rally that he wanted Mr Trump’s autograph before he attempted to seize the officer’s gun.