Donald Trump claims that the Manhattan District Attorney's case will result in his arrest on March 21

According to a post on Truth Social on Saturday, former US President Donald Trump said that he anticipates being detained on Tuesday in connection with a case filed by the Manhattan district attorney's office and urged his fans to demonstrate.

The district attorney's office's spokeswoman refused to comment.

Without offering any proof, Trump claimed that the Manhattan district attorney's office had "illegal leaks" that suggested he might be detained. He made no mention of the potential accusations.

The far and away leading Republican contender and former president of the United States of America, will be arrested on Tuesday of next week, without a crime having been established, according to illegal leaks from a corrupt and highly politicised district attorney's office in Manhattan, Trump wrote.

"Protest, reclaim our country!" Added Trump.

An investigation of a $130,000 payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels in the last weeks of Donald Trump's 2016 campaign by Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney and fixer, is being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office.

Daniels, whose actual name is Stephanie Clifford, alleges she had an affair with Trump a decade ago. Trump has denied the existence of the affair.

Trump, a Republican who served as president from 2017 to 2021, has said he would run for re-election in the 2024 US presidential election.

According to Trump's attorney Susan Necheles, Bragg's office asked Trump to appear before the grand jury looking into the hush money payments earlier this month. It indicated that an indictment was imminent, according to legal experts.

In addition to other charges, Cohen entered a guilty plea in 2018 to federal campaign financing violations related to his organising payments to Daniels and another woman. He claims that Trump gave him the order to make the payments. Trump was not accused of any crimes by the Manhattan office of the US Attorney.

Cohen testified in front of the grand jury twice, once on Monday and once on Wednesday, according to Lanny Davis, his attorney. Grand jury hearings are private.

Daniels' attorney said that she communicated with the prosecution last week.

legal issues

As he pursues the GOP presidential nomination, Trump is dealing with a number of legal issues, including the investigation.

In Georgia, a state-level criminal investigation into Trump's attempts to get the results of the 2020 election thrown out is also ongoing.

Trump's handling of sensitive government records after leaving office, as well as his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat President Joe Biden, are currently the subject of an investigation by a special counsel appointed by US Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The Trump Organization was found guilty of tax fraud last year thanks to Bragg's office. Nevertheless, Bragg refrained from accusing Trump with financial crimes connected to his business operations, which led to the resignation of two prosecutors involved in the investigation.

According to a February Reuters/Ipsos survey, Trump has the backing of 43% of Republicans, compared to 31% for his closest competitor, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has not yet declared his campaign.