Law enforcement officials have confirmed a third failed assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump, highlighting ongoing security concerns surrounding the high-profile figure.
Law enforcement officers thwarted a third assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Saturday by arresting an armed individual carrying fake press passes near the former U.S. President’s rally in Coachella, California, according to a local sheriff.
According to a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday, 49-year-old Las Vegas resident Vem Miller was arrested at a checkpoint outside the rally venue on Saturday. He was found in possession of an illegally owned shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco informed local media that Miller had used counterfeit VIP and press passes at the checkpoint.
“They were distinct enough to raise concern among the deputies,” Bianco mentioned to the Press-Enterprise. “We likely prevented another assassination attempt.”
Bianco characterized Miller as a “sovereign citizen,” denoting an informal group of radical libertarians who reject the government’s legal authority over them. According to Bianco, Miller is a registered Republican with a master’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and campaigned for state assembly in Nevada during 2022.
Bianco stated that Miller has neither confirmed nor denied any intentions to assassinate Trump.
The suspect, aged 49, was released on $5,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court in January facing charges of illegal firearms possession.
In the past three months, Trump has endured two assassination attempts. In July, while attending a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, the former president and Republican presidential candidate narrowly escaped death when a bullet from about 150 meters away grazed his ear. The shooter fired from an unprotected rooftop overlooked by Secret Service agents and tragically managed to kill one attendee and injure two others before being neutralized by a sniper.
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The second attempt occurred at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September. A gunman targeting Trump from behind bushes was startled by Secret Service agents and apprehended after fleeing the scene. The suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, had tried unsuccessfully to join the Ukrainian military in 2022 and subsequently devised a plan to recruit former Afghan commandos to fight for Kyiv.
American intelligence agents have alleged that Iran is attempting to assassinate Trump. President Joe Biden has cautioned Tehran, stating he would consider any attack on his former political opponent as an act of war.
Last month, Republican Representative Matt Gaetz alleged that there are five “assassination teams” in the United States targeting Trump, with three of these groups linked to Iran, Pakistan, and Ukraine. He also mentioned another theory gaining traction among some Republicans: a potential informant within the Secret Service might be leaking details to these hit squads. Gaetz discussed this during an interview with Breitbart News.
On Friday, Biden announced that he had instructed the Secret Service to provide Trump with protection “as if he were a sitting president,” and to offer any security assistance requested by his campaign.
