Armed Trump supporter detained with gun and knife outside immigrant centre in El Paso

An armed Trump supporter sparked a security alert at an immigrant community centre in El Paso after he was spotted brandishing a knife and a gun outside.

Thomas Bartram, 21, was reported to police by staff who noticed him parked in front of the building in a truck plastered with the image of the US president dressed up as Rambo.

“He was outside the building acting strange, making threatening comments to volunteers outside because he saw that we had an anti-Trump sign on our window,” said community organiser Ana Tiffany Deveze.

The volunteers were so concerned – four days after 22 people were killed in a mass shooting in the city - that they locked themselves inside the Casa Carmelita building and called police.

Ms Deveze, 31, said: “While we waited I peeked out the window to see if I could see what he was doing in the truck and that’s when I saw that he had put on blue latex gloves and he had a pretty big knife in his hand.”

As they attempted to warn their neighbours, two women ran past “screaming that there was a man with a gun out front,” she added.

Officers from the El Paso police department arrived moments later and detained him next to his truck.

Photographs and video footage posted online showed Mr Bartram being handcuffed while still wearing the latex gloves.

He was questioned by officers for two hours but was released after they decided he had not committed any criminal offence.

The El Paso police department tweeted that “officers responded to a suspicious subject at the 900 block of Stanton near Casa Carmelita” at 7pm on 7 July.

“The subject was detained, interviewed and released after it was determined that no criminal offence had been committed,” it added.

A police spokesman confirmed the detained man was carrying a firearm legally.

Staff at the Casa Carmelita criticised the police decision to release the suspect, claiming that he had “clear intent to conduct an armed assault” on the day of Mr Trump’s visit.

“He was sitting in his truck wearing blue latex gloves, and brandishing a knife,” they posted on the organisation’s Facebook page.

“Police recovered a loaded gun, ammo, and a bag of white powder from his person. This happens just as Trump departs El Paso and follows a pattern of local organisers being targeted and increased violence and hate crimes.”

Mr Bartram had previously been photographed wearing plastic safety goggles while visiting a vigil for the victims of the shooting in El Paso.

He claimed he drove to the city from Houston to “come out and support” Mr Trump and denied allegations he was brandishing the weapons.

Asked about the knife and the gloves, he told NBC News: “I was eating prickly pears.” The “white powder” was a protein supplement, he said.

Mr Bartram added: “I’m definitely not a white supremacist.”

Seven of the victims of the El Paso shooting carried out by a suspected white supremacist were Mexican citizens. Thirteen were US citizens, one was German and one remains unknown, according to the latest police statement.