Man arrested outside Trump California rally had guns and fake passports

A man in illegal possession of a shotgun and a loaded handgun was arrested at an intersection near Donald Trump’s rally in Coachella, California, on Saturday, police said.

The 49-year-old suspect, Vem Miller, was driving a black SUV when he was stopped at a security checkpoint by officers, who located the two firearms and a “high-capacity magazine”.

Mr Miller was then taken into custody “without incident”, the Riverside County Sheriff’s office said. He was later released and told US media he was a Trump supporter who was not planning to harm the Republican presidential candidate.

The US Secret Service said Trump “was not in any danger”, and that the incident did not impact protective operations.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco also said that the encounter did not affect the safety of Trump or the rally’s attendees.

Although it was impossible to speculate about what was in the mind of the suspect, Mr Bianco said he “truly believed” that his officers had prevented a third assassination attempt.

He added that it might be impossible to prove that this was the intent of Mr Miller, who he described as “a lunatic”.

Mr Bianco is an elected official and a Republican who has previously expressed support for Trump. He is also acting as a surrogate – a representative – for Trump’s re-election campaign.

Mr Miller himself told the Southern California News Group that he was “shocked” at his arrest, while denying accusations that he wanted to hurt Trump.

He also told Fox News that he “always” travelled around with guns in his vehicle, but had never fired one.

Before his release on a $5,000 (£3,826) bail, Mr Miller was charged with two misdemeanour weapons charges. No federal charges have been filed.

A federal law enforcement official told the BBC’s US partner CBS News there was no indication of an assassination attempt connected to this incident.

Federal authorities say they are still investigating the incident, and it would be up to them to pursue any additional charges.

In a police news conference on Sunday, Mr Bianco gave an account of events. He said that as the suspect approached an outside perimeter, near the location of the rally, he “gave all indications that he was allowed to be there”.

But as the suspect got to the inside perimeter, “many irregularities popped up”, Mr Bianco added, explaining that the vehicle had a fake licence plate and was in “disarray” inside.

Multiple passports with multiple names and multiple driving licences were found in the car, the sheriff said, adding that the licence plate was “home-made” and not registered.

He added that the licence plate was also “indicative of a group of individuals that claim to be Sovereign Citizens”, an anti-government movement.

In his comments to US media, Mr Miller denied being a member.

The incident – which police said took place at 16:59 local time on Saturday (00:59 GMT on Sunday) – highlights, once again, the intense security operation around Trump, and the dangers facing the former president, with just over three weeks to go until the election.

It follows two high-profile alleged assassination attempts on Trump earlier this year, which resulted in an increase in the security around him at events.

The Saturday before Mr Miller’s arrest, Trump held his second rally in Butler, Pennsylvania this year, the same place were his ear was bloodied after a sniper fired multiple shots in his direction, killing one person in the crowd.

Another man is currently in jail after he was arrested outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in September. The man was spotted hiding in bushes near the golf course with the muzzle of a rifle sticking out through the shrubbery.

By Shayan Sardarizadeh, BBC Verify

Despite Sheriff Bianco’s suggestion that Mr Miller was planning to kill Trump, Mr Miller’s online footprint appears to back up his statements that he actually supports the Republican presidential candidate.

Content that he has posted seems to provide evidence that he is a dedicated right-wing activist.

He has two profiles on Facebook – one for a state election in Nevada in 2022 – as well as an Instagram, a LinkedIn, a Twitter account and an online show on video platform Rumble.

Mr Miller posted footage of himself at the Republican National Convention in July, along with photos with many high-profile Republicans and conservative commentators.

He regularly attends pro-Trump rallies events around the country and appears to be strongly opposed to the Democrats.

Mr Miller has also posted about a wide range of conspiracy theories around Covid, vaccines, 9/11, and the weather.

He owns a website and hosts an online chat show, in which he describes himself as an investigative journalist and filmmaker. His show also promotes right-wing views alongside his apparent conspiratorial beliefs.

In online posts, he has also promoted violence against Democrats for what he has called “treason” over the Hurricane Helene response.

North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher makes sense of the race for the White House in his twice weekly US Election Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.