I am expecting to be arrested on Tuesday, says Donald Trump

• Donald Trump is expected to be arrested on Tuesday.
• In connection with hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.
• The first time a former US president has ever faced criminal charges.

Donald Trump, a former US president, said he expects to be detained on Tuesday in connection with a case involving suspected hush money payments to a former porn star.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr. Trump urged his followers to protest such a move.

One of Mr. Trump’s attorneys claimed that his assertion was based on media speculation that he may face charges the following week.

If Mr. Trump is charged, it will be the first time a former US president has ever faced criminal charges.

If he were to receive the GOP nomination for president in the 2024 election, it would also have detrimental effects on his presidential campaign.

Prosecutors in New York have been looking into claims that hush money was given to former porn star Stormy Daniels on Mr. Trump’s behalf before the 2016 election for five years.

Before the 2016 election, Ms. Daniels claims that Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former attorney, paid her $130,000 (£107,000) in exchange for her quiet on a rumored romance. Mr. Trump disputes that they had sexual intercourse and dismisses the claim as having political undertones.

The 76-year-old is currently under investigation in a number of incidents, although he has not yet been charged in any of them and vehemently denies any wrongdoing.

On Saturday Mr. Trump wrote on his social networking site Truth Social that “illegal leaks” from the Manhattan district attorney’s office “indicate” he would be arrested on Tuesday.

The district attorney’s office has not yet commented. Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Susan Necheles, told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that his post was “based on media reports”.

“Since this is a political prosecution, the district attorney’s office has engaged in a practice of leaking everything to the press, rather than communicating with President Trump’s attorneys as would be done in a normal case,” she said.

Law enforcement officials in New York are allegedly preparing to indict the former president, and this may occur as soon as next week, according to US media outlets.

When Mr. Trump was asked to testify before a grand jury earlier this month, which decides whether there is enough evidence to press charges in a case, it was an indication that the Stormy Daniels case was moving forward.

A number of Mr. Trump’s former aides are said to have testified during these private proceedings.

The possibility of criminal charges against him, according to experts, is indicated by his offer to testify, but it is unclear what they would be.

The report of Mr. Trump’s detention comes as security and law enforcement authorities in New York prepare for the potential that he could be charged and appear in a Manhattan courtroom.

The Associated Press reports that law enforcement authorities are debating the logistics of bringing a former president to trial, particularly concerns about security.

Joseph Tacopina, another attorney for Mr. Trump, told the news organisation that “we will follow the proper procedures” if he is charged.

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