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Who wanted to assassinate Donald Trump?
14 Jul 2024 at 05:12hrs | Views
Pennsylvania - Donald Trump was injured in what the FBI said was an attempted assassination at an election rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening, a shocking act of political violence that threatens to upend an already tumultuous US election race and deepen the country's polarisation.
The former president was injured in a volley of gunfire at 6.15pm from an "elevated position" outside the venue, according to the US Secret Service.
The shots killed one spectator and critically wounded others, all of whom were male, according to authorities.
Trump was immediately rushed offstage to his motorcade, with blood visible on his right ear and streaking across his cheek. He pumped his fists and shouted "Fight!" to the crowd before being driven away.
The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting current and former presidents, said the suspected shooter had fired "multiple shots towards the stage" and that the assailant was now dead.
"This evening we had what we're calling an assassination attempt against our former president Donald Trump," said FBI agent Kevin Rojek at a news conference several hours after the shooting.
Rojek said that the FBI was not yet prepared to identify the suspected shooter or any motive.
The shooting drew condemnation from across the US political spectrum, with President Joe Biden, who spoke to Trump late on Saturday, describing the incident as "sick" and a reason "why we have to unite this country".
"There's no place in America for this kind of violence," Biden said.
International leaders also denounced the act of violence, with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying he was "appalled by the shocking scenes". Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would "pray for President Trump's speedy recovery".
There were conflicting reports about the cause of Trump's injury. The former president wrote on his Truth Social platform that he had been "shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear", adding: "Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead."
"I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin," Trump wrote. "Much bleeding took place, so I realised then what was happening." He offered his condolences to the families of the killed and injured attendees.
The gunfire erupted just minutes after Trump began speaking at a rally of supporters in Butler, a rural town in north-western Pennsylvania. Witnesses and footage suggested seven or eight shots were fired.
Law enforcement became aware of the shooter only after shots were fired, according to an initial assessment. Asked if the incident marked a failure of security, Rojek said it was too early to make any determination, but added it was "surprising" the perpetrator was able to fire several shots. He declined to comment on the type of weapon used.
Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, later said that Trump had left the Butler county area under protection from the Secret Service and state police, while wishing the former president a "full and speedy recovery".
Biden was briefed on the shooting soon after the incident. "Apparently he's doing well," the president said of Trump in brief remarks from the police department in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he has a holiday home.
"I have an opinion, but I don't have any facts," Biden said when asked if this had been an assassination attempt. He added: "You cannot allow for this to be happening. You cannot be like this. We cannot condone this."
US politics have been plagued in recent years by deep divisions and heightened political rhetoric, with sporadic eruptions of violence over the past four years including the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters. Some Republicans were quick to attribute blame for the incident on Biden's political rhetoric.
US attorney-general Merrick Garland said the justice department would "bring every available resource to bear" to an investigation, which the FBI said in a separate statement it would lead.
The former president was injured in a volley of gunfire at 6.15pm from an "elevated position" outside the venue, according to the US Secret Service.
The shots killed one spectator and critically wounded others, all of whom were male, according to authorities.
Trump was immediately rushed offstage to his motorcade, with blood visible on his right ear and streaking across his cheek. He pumped his fists and shouted "Fight!" to the crowd before being driven away.
The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting current and former presidents, said the suspected shooter had fired "multiple shots towards the stage" and that the assailant was now dead.
"This evening we had what we're calling an assassination attempt against our former president Donald Trump," said FBI agent Kevin Rojek at a news conference several hours after the shooting.
Rojek said that the FBI was not yet prepared to identify the suspected shooter or any motive.
The shooting drew condemnation from across the US political spectrum, with President Joe Biden, who spoke to Trump late on Saturday, describing the incident as "sick" and a reason "why we have to unite this country".
"There's no place in America for this kind of violence," Biden said.
There were conflicting reports about the cause of Trump's injury. The former president wrote on his Truth Social platform that he had been "shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear", adding: "Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead."
"I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin," Trump wrote. "Much bleeding took place, so I realised then what was happening." He offered his condolences to the families of the killed and injured attendees.
The gunfire erupted just minutes after Trump began speaking at a rally of supporters in Butler, a rural town in north-western Pennsylvania. Witnesses and footage suggested seven or eight shots were fired.
Law enforcement became aware of the shooter only after shots were fired, according to an initial assessment. Asked if the incident marked a failure of security, Rojek said it was too early to make any determination, but added it was "surprising" the perpetrator was able to fire several shots. He declined to comment on the type of weapon used.
Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, later said that Trump had left the Butler county area under protection from the Secret Service and state police, while wishing the former president a "full and speedy recovery".
Biden was briefed on the shooting soon after the incident. "Apparently he's doing well," the president said of Trump in brief remarks from the police department in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he has a holiday home.
"I have an opinion, but I don't have any facts," Biden said when asked if this had been an assassination attempt. He added: "You cannot allow for this to be happening. You cannot be like this. We cannot condone this."
US politics have been plagued in recent years by deep divisions and heightened political rhetoric, with sporadic eruptions of violence over the past four years including the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters. Some Republicans were quick to attribute blame for the incident on Biden's political rhetoric.
US attorney-general Merrick Garland said the justice department would "bring every available resource to bear" to an investigation, which the FBI said in a separate statement it would lead.
Source - Financial Times
