11:40 Secret Service dismisses Republican accusation
The Secret Service has denied the allegation that they refused additional security measures for Trump in the last few months. "The claim that a member of the former President's security team requested additional security resources which were denied by the Secret Service or the Home Security Ministry is absolutely false", said Secret-Service-Spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi. In fact, the Secret Service recently increased security measures.
Few hours after the attack, Republican Representative Michael Waltz stated that he had "reliable sources" that there had been repeated requests for stronger secret service protection for President Trump. Waltz did not provide any evidence.
11:16 Steinmeier wishes Trump swift recoveryFederal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the family of the victim: "I condemn the attack on the 45th US President, Donald J. Trump", writes Steinmeier in a statement. "Violence has no place in our democracy - not in America, not here. We can all contribute: Let us respect violence in political disputes! Let us reject hatred and incitement from election campaigns and debates! Democracy tolerates sharp controversies - but violence destroys democracy. Donald J. Trump and the injured deserve swift recovery. My deepest condolences go to the family of the victim of the attack."
10:32 Expert: "Trump produced that image directly, instinctively"Seconds after the shots were fired, Donald Trump is seen getting up, covered in blood, and raising his fist at Secret Service agents. Political scientist Thomas Jaeger sees the "master of political marketing" at work here. It remains to be seen if Trump will be able to continue spinning his "witch hunt" narrative.
10:10 Sharpshooter seemed to have noticed the assassin just before the first shotsA post on X shows a sharpshooter at the Trump rally in exactly the moment the shots were fired. Sharpshooters are deployed at such events by the Secret Service to secure the surroundings - which apparently did not go well in this case. The sharpshooter seems to be observing something or someone through his telescopic sight. He recoils, just before the shots can be heard, suggesting that he became aware of the shooter as a threat in that moment. Shortly thereafter, the shooter was shot.
09:23 Participant warned of the assassin before the attackBefore the shots were fired at Trump's campaign rally in Butler, participants had noticed a man with a rifle on a roof nearby. One of them, Greg Smith, told security personnel: "Hey man, there's a guy with a rifle on the roof", he later told the BBC. The response was: "Huh?", as if the security forces did not know what was going on. "I thought: Why is Trump still speaking, why didn't they take him off the stage? ... The next thing I heard were five shots."
09:15 Scholz condemns attempted attack on Trump as despicableGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz comments on the assassination attempt against Trump: "The attempt on US Presidential candidate Donald Trump is despicable. I wish him a quick recovery. My thoughts are also with the people affected by the attack. Such acts threaten democracy."
08:28 Photographer captures image of possible projectileNew York Times photographer Doug Mills apparently took a photo at the exact moment a bullet narrowly missed Trump. Michael Harrigan, a retired FBI agent, told the newspaper that the photo "could very well show the air displacement from a bullet." In general, it is possible to photograph a flying bullet, Harrigan said. Mills used a Sony digital camera at the Trump rally, which can take up to 30 images per second. The photo was taken with a shutter speed of 1/8000th of a second.
08:00 Alleged shooter registered as a RepublicanThe FBI has identified the suspect. He is a man named Thomas Matthew Crooks. The 20-year-old suspect, who was killed in the shooting attempt, is from the small town of Bethel Park in the US state of Pennsylvania, an hour south of Butler, where the Trump rally took place. Crooks is registered as a Republican. According to reports he donated $15 to a Democratic donation organization on the day of Biden's inauguration in January 2021.
The New York Post notes that Crooks donated at the age of 17. He registered as a member of the Republican Party in September 2021, when he turned 18.
07:46 Expert: "Secret Service must answer some questions"Donald Trump, as an ex-President and candidate, is under the protection of the Secret Service. There are highest security measures in place at all campaign events, as Obama's former campaign adviser Julius van de Laar reports. It now needs to be worked out how such an attacker could get through.
07:38 World leaders react in shockWorld leaders reacted in shock to the attack on Ex-President Trump. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen writes on X, she is deeply shocked, wishes Trump a quick recovery and expresses her condolences to the innocent victim's family. "Political violence has no place in a democracy", writes von der Leyen. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expresses similar sentiments. "My thoughts are with former President Trump, the participants of the event, and all Americans."
The United Nations also condemns the attack on Trump. "The Secretary-General condemns this act of political violence in the strongest terms," the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres says. "He wishes President Trump a swift recovery." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shares that he is "appalled" by the news of the attack. "Such violence has no justification and no place in the world. Never should violence prevail." Zelenskyy also wishes Trump a swift recovery.
Already on Saturday evening (local time), Biden expressed his gratitude that Trump was safe and in good health. In the US, "there is no place for this kind of violence," Biden said.
07:21 Open Questions to the Secret ServiceFBI Agent Kevin Rojek states at a press conference that it was "surprising" that the protector fired multiple shots. In response to questions about security measures, he states that such questions should be answered by the Secret Service. The Secret Service is not a secret service, but rather (among other things) responsible for the security of US Presidents and former US Presidents.
"They conduct the initial security assessments and determine where the various security locations should be," Rojek says. "And they are the ones responsible for securing the crime scene." A representative of the Secret Service is not present at the press conference. "Nobody was available," Rojek says.
07:04 Trump in New Jersey, apparently unharmedA Trump spokesperson posts a video that shows Trump leaving an airport in New Jersey without assistance. His injured ear is not visible in the video. The Republicans have already announced that the nominating convention will take place as planned; the convention takes place from Monday to Thursday in Milwaukee. There, Trump will officially be nominated as the Republican presidential candidate. US President Biden shared that the Democrats will stop all campaign ads as soon as possible.
06:50 Shooter fired from a roof near the rallyAnthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the Secret Service, states that the suspect fired "multiple shots towards the stage" and was located "on an elevated position outside the event perimeter." This suggests that a roof near the rally could be meant.
06:39 Shooter is apparently a 20-year-old from PennsylvaniaThe person who shot at Trump is a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania, according to a source familiar with the investigation of the "Washington Post." The FBI officially states that they have not yet identified the shooter, but are "close" to doing so. The shooter is deceased. According to the Pennsylvania police, it is too early to say whether it was a lone gunman. However, there is no indication of "any further threat."
06:25 Media: Trump discharged from hospitalTrump was discharged from the hospital late Saturday night (local time) according to a report by the news agency Bloomberg.
06:01 FBI confirms attempted assassination of Ex-President Trump at rallyThe US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has classified the incident at a campaign rally in the US state of Pennsylvania as an "attempted assassination" against former President Donald Trump. FBI Agent Kevin Rojek stated at the scene of the incident in Butler, "This is an attempt to assassinate our former President Donald Trump." According to official reports, Trump was injured in the ear by the gunfire, and besides the alleged shooter, a spectator was killed and two others were seriously injured.
03:58 Republicans plan to hold convention despite Trump attackThe US Republicans plan to hold their nomination convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as scheduled this week, according to a joint statement from the party and Trump's campaign team. The Republicans are set to gather in Milwaukee starting on Monday for their nomination convention to officially nominate Trump as their presidential candidate.
03:54 Shooter fired from "elevated position": One dead, two injuredDuring the attack on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, the alleged shooter opened fire from an "elevated position" outside the event venue. One person was killed and two others were seriously injured, according to the Secret Service. Initially, it was reported that one person had been severely injured.
02:55 Trump: I was hit by a bullet in the earFormer US President Donald Trump has reportedly been injured in the ear during the attack at a campaign event. "I was hit by a bullet that went through the upper part of my right ear," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
00:33 Shots fired at Trump: Secret Service agents escort ex-president from stageFormer US President Donald Trump was escorted from the stage during a campaign event in Pennsylvania after shots were fired. In images, Trump can be seen with a bloody ear and raised fist.
In light of the recent events at the U.S. Presidential Election 2024 campaign rally, Republican Presidential candidate Joe Biden expressed his relief that Donald Trump was safe and wished him a swift recovery. Biden highlighted that such acts of violence have no place in the U.S. (07:21 Open Questions to the Secret Service)
As the investigation into the shooting continues, it was reported that the suspected shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was registered as a Republican but had also made a donation to a Democratic organization on the day of Biden's inauguration in January 2021. (08:00 Alleged shooter registered as a Republican)
