‘Gun’ goes off, Donald Trump cries Hillary Clinton

Secret Service agents rush Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump off the stage at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada. (Photo: AP)

In a startling scene, Donald Trump was rushed offstage by members of his Secret Service detail during a rally Saturday night in Reno, Nevada, after a person in the crowd shouted that someone had a gun.

A man thought to have the gun was apprehended, but no weapon was found, the Secret Service said, and the man was released. Reporters from The Guardian and KRNV, a Reno television station, interviewed the man and reported on Twitter that he had been holding a “Republicans Against Trump” sign.

It was Mr Trump’s next to last rally in a long day that had begun in Tampa, Florida, as he makes his final arguments to voters before Tuesday’s election. More than a half-hour into his speech, he noticed a disturbance in the crowd in front of him.

“We have one of those guys from the Hillary Clinton campaign,” he told the crowd. “How much are you being paid, fifteen hundred ”

About 30 seconds later, he gazed out into the crowd at another commotion from the same area. One attendee, Donald Newton, told the Reno Gazette-Journal that he had witnessed a man holding a sign and approaching the stage.

“He had something on his belly. I don’t know what it was,” Newton said. “Somebody yelled ‘gun,’ and everyone jumped on him.”

Just then, two members of Mr Trump’s security detail raced toward the Republican presidential nominee, with one of them grabbing him and forcibly escorting him from the lectern. “Go!” yelled the second agent.

With Mr Trump off the stage, some in the crowd in the Reno-Sparks Convention Center grew confused and panicked.

“What’s going on ” asked one woman, leaning over the metal barricades to inquire if the media had any information. “Are we in danger ”

A few minutes later, Mr Trump returned and indirectly addressed the matter. “Nobody said it would be easy for us,” he said. “But we will never be stopped. Never. Ever.”

Both Mr Trump and his opponent, Hillary Clinton, are protected at rallies by multiple layers of security, including metal detectors and officers who search bags at every entrance.

Mr Trump’s rallies frequently attract protesters, and Saturday was not the first time that Mr Trump’s security agents had sensed a potential threat and raced to his side.

In March, Secret Service agents rushed onstage and formed a protective ring around the candidate during a rally in Ohio, after an audience member ran toward him.

Moments later, the agents left the stage and Mr Trump resumed his speech.