A man arrested at a security checkpoint near Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's California rally on Saturday (Oct 12) faces gun charges after he was found in possession of loaded firearms, multiple passports and a fake licence plate, the local sheriff said on Sunday.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said he believed his department halted an assassination attempt, though he acknowledged that was "speculation." The suspect was released on bail on Saturday, jail records showed. A federal official said on Sunday that a federal investigation was underway.

"What we do know is he showed up with multiple passports with different names, an unregistered vehicle with a fake licence plate and loaded firearms," the sheriff said at a news conference on Sunday afternoon. "I truly do believe that we prevented another assassination attempt."

The 49-year-old man, identified as Las Vegas resident Vem Miller, was stopped in a black SUV by sheriff's deputies around 5pm local time on Saturday and taken into custody without incident, according to the sheriff's office. Trump had not yet taken the stage.

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