Did Trump just suffer a third assassination attempt?

This US presidential election campaign has already seen two assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump - and a police sheriff has said a third was "probably prevented" after a man with weapons and fake passes was arrested near a rally held by Trump in Coachella, California.

Vem Miller, 49, was stopped by officers in his black SUV at a checkpoint around a mile from the rally on Saturday (October 12). He was found to be carrying a loaded shotgun, handgun and a high-capacity magazine, along with multiple passports with different names, an unregistered vehicle, and a fake license plate.

Additionally, Miller was arrested before Trump was on stage and was charged with two misdemeanours, possession of a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine, and was released on $5,000 (£3,800) bail the same day, Reutersreported.

"The incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event," Riverside County Sheriff’s office confirmed in a press statement.

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he walks onstage for a campaign rally on October 12, 2024 in Coachella, California. With 24 days to go until election day, former President Donald Trump is detouring from swing states to hold the rally in Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris' home state. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

In a press conference, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said: "If you’re asking me right now, I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt."

He also noted that we can only "speculate" what Miller's state of mind was.

Bianco also shared further details about Miller who has a master's degree from UCLA, ran for Nevada state assembly in 2022, and considers himself to be a "sovereign citizen" - a person who believes laws do not apply to them unless they have provided their consent.

Meanwhile, the Secret Service confirmed it was informed of this matter in a statement: "We were contacted as it happened and Secret Service agents conducted a productive intelligence interview.

"It had no impact on the event and we are looking into the circumstances and the backgrounds of the individuals."

Miller is due to appear in court in January next year.

Previously, Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet during an assassination attempt on July 13 while giving a speech at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where there were two deaths (including the perpetrator).

Then last month, a man was arrested and charged with attempting to assassinate Trump at his Florida golf club.

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