Man with loaded guns arrested outside Trump rally

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Police intercepted the 49-year-old at a roadside checkpoint on the way to the Coachella Valley rally on Saturday night (local time).
An armed man was arrested near a Donald Trump rally in the U.S. state of California over the weekend.

An armed man was arrested near a Donald Trump rally in the U.S. state of California over the weekend.

Police intercepted the 49-year-old at a roadside checkpoint on the way to the Coachella Valley rally on Saturday night (local time).

Multiple guns and fake IDs were found inside his car, which had a “homemade” licence plate.

The man has been released on bail and is expected to appear in court in January.

Arrest

The man passed an initial checkpoint with what appeared to be a VIP pass to the rally.

At a second checkpoint closer to the venue, police searched his SUV, which was found to be unregistered. They found multiple loaded guns, and forged passports and driver’s licences.

The man has been charged with illegally possessing guns and a “high-capacity magazine”, capable of holding a higher-than-normal number of rounds of ammunition.

Police

The arrest was made before Trump arrived at the rally.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said he believed police had “prevented the third assassination attempt” of Donald Trump.

The FBI and the Secret Service said in a joint statement that “Trump was not in any danger” and that “protective operations” were not impacted.

Trump

U.S. outlet Axios reports Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung thanked authorities for “helping ensure the safety of President Trump”.

Trump has not publicly commented on the arrest.

After the rally, Trump thanked supporters for a “beautiful evening” in a post to social media. He has since appeared at another rally in Arizona.

The U.S. election will be held on 5 November.

Attempts

In July, a 20-year-old man opened fire while Trump was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania.

The shooter grazed Trump’s right ear and killed an attendee before the Secret Service shot him dead.

Last month, a 58-year-old man was arrested and charged after he allegedly camped out at one of Trump’s golf courses with a loaded gun. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

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