Washington, US

Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a major security scare during an event with the Hispanic community in Los Angeles. The armed man tried to go near Robert F. Kennedy Jr., during the event in California where the presidential hopeful was present to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. 

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In a post on X social media platform, Robert F. Kennedy Jr wrote, "I’m very grateful that alert and fast-acting protectors from Gavin de Becker and Associates (GDBA) spotted and detained an armed man who attempted to approach me at my Hispanic Heritage speech at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles tonight." 

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He further disclosed that the man was "wearing two shoulder holsters with loaded pistols and spare ammunition magazines and was carrying a US Marshal badge on a lanyard and belt-clip federal ID." 

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The man identified himself as a member of the security detail of the Democratic presidential hopeful, as per the post. 

"Armed GDBA team members moved quickly to isolate and detain the man until LAPD arrived to make the arrest. I’m also grateful to LAPD for its rapid response," Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said while adding, "I’m still entertaining a hope that President Biden will allow me Secret Service protection. I am the first presidential candidate in history to whom the White House has denied a request for protection." 

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The police arrested the unidentified man. Media reports said that the man may face charges of impersonating a police officer or federal agent, in addition to the alleged unlawful possession of firearms.

Kennedy's family history

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the nephew of John F. Kennedy and the son of Robert F. Kennedy. His family suffered at the hands of tragic assassinations in the past. Born in 1954, he was only at the age of nine when his uncle was assassinated in 1963.

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Moreover, in a second such incident in the family history, his father was assassinated in 1968 when Robert Kennedy Jr. was 14 years old. Kennedy is a lawyer and environmental activist, just like his father. 

Kennedy's controversial COVID-19 comments

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. previously found himself at the centre of a controversy that erupted due to his comments on COVID-19. He faced allegations of racism and anti-Semitism when he said that "COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese." 

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"I accurately pointed out — during an off-the-record conversation — that the US and other governments are developing ethnically targeted bioweapons and that a 2021 study of the COVID-19 virus shows that COVID-19 appears to disproportionately affect certain races since the furin cleave docking site is most compatible with Blacks and Caucasians and least compatible with ethnic Chinese, Finns, and Ashkenazi Jews," he had posted. 

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