Man with weapons including high-capacity magazine stopped at checkpoint near Donald Trump rally

The Secret Service said 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."

The man was released from custody on the same day with a $5,000 (£3,800) bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on 2 January next year, according to online records.

He was charged with possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine, according to the sheriff's office.

During the press conference, Sheriff Bianco was asked if he was being dramatic when he suggested his officers had stopped an assassination attempt.

"If we are that politically lost that we have lost sight of common sense and reality and reason, that we can't say 'Holy crap, what did he show up with all that stuff for and loaded guns?', and I'm going to be accused of being dramatic, we have a serious problem in this country because this is common sense and reason," he said.Mr Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrest.

The Republican presidential candidate was shot in an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania in July, when a bullet grazed his ear.

Last month, another man was charged with trying to assassinate the former president after Secret Service agents found him hiding with a rifle near Mr Trump's golf course in Palm Beach. He pleaded not guilty.