12:13 Video shows seconds between shots of the assassin and the Secret Service
The American gossip news site TMZ shows a video in which the shots of the assassin and the shots that likely killed him seconds later can be heard. The attack caused panic among bystanders. The recording was made from outside the area where the rally took place, as TMZ writes.
11:40 Secret Service denies Republican allegationThe Secret Service has denied the allegation that they refused to provide additional security resources to former President Trump in the last few months. "The claim that a member of the former President's security team requested additional security resources that were denied by the Secret Service or the Home Security Department is absolutely false," said Secret-Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi. In fact, the Secret Service recently increased security measures.
A few hours after the attack on Trump, Republican Congressman Michael Waltz said he had "reliable sources" who told him that there had been repeated requests for stronger intelligence protection for President Trump. Waltz did not provide any evidence.
11:16 Steinmeier expresses condolences to Trump's familyFederal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned the assassination attempt and expressed his condolences to the family of the victim in a statement: "I condemn the assassination attempt on the 45th US President, Donald J. Trump," Steinmeier writes in a statement. "Violence has no place in our democracy - not in America, not with us. We can all contribute: Let us condemn violence in political disputes! Let us reject hatred and hate speech from election campaigns and debates! Democracy tolerates sharp controversies - but violence destroys democracy. Donald J. Trump and the injured person deserve a swift recovery. My deepest condolences go to the family of the victim of the attack."
10:32 Expert: "Trump produced the image directly and instinctively"Seconds after the shots are 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. What's crucial now is whether Trump can continue to spin his "witch hunt" narrative.
10:10 Sharpshooter seems to have noticed assassin just before first shotsA video posted on X shows a sharpshooter at the Trump rally at the exact moment the shots are fired. Sharpshooters are deployed at such events by the Secret Service to secure the area - 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 A participant warned of the assassin before the attackA participant named Greg Smith noticed a man with a rifle on a roof near the venue before the shootings at Trump's rally in Butler. He told on-site security personnel: "Hey man, there's a guy with a rifle on the roof", he later told the BBC. The response was: "Ha ha, what?", implying that the security forces didn't 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 the attackGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented on the attempted attack against Trump: "The attack on US Presidential candidate Donald Trump is abhorrent. I wish him a quick recovery. My thoughts are also with the people affected by the attack. Such acts of violence threaten democracy."
08:28 Photographer captures possible projectile in imageNew 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 the photo "could very well show the air displacement from a bullet". In general, it's possible to photograph a flying bullet, Harrigan added. 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 1/8000 second.
08:00 Alleged shooter registered as a RepublicanThe FBI identified the alleged shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was a 20-year-old man from the small town of Bethel Park in Pennsylvania, an hour south of Butler, where the Trump rally took place. Crooks was 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 was 17 years old at the time of the donation. He registered as a Republican member in September 2021, when he turned 18.
07:46 Expert: "Secret Service needs to answer some questions"As an assistant to the Ex-President and a campaigner, Donald Trump is under the protection of the Secret Service. There are highest security measures in place at all campaign events, as Obama's former campaign advisor Julius van de Laar reports. It now needs to be clarified how such an attacker could get through.
07:38 World leaders react in shockWorld leaders reacted in shock to the attack on the Ex-President Trump. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X, she was deeply shocked, wished Trump a quick recovery, and expressed her condolences to the family of the innocent victim. "Political violence has no place in a democracy", she wrote. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also reacted in a similar way. "My thoughts are with the former President Trump, the participants of the event, and all Americans."
United Nations also condemn Trump attack. "The Secretary-general strongly condemns this act of political violence," says UN-Secretary-General António Guterres' spokesperson. "He wishes President Trump a quick recovery." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shares that he is "appalled" by the news of the attack. "Such violence has no justification and has no place in the world. Never should violence prevail." Zelensky also wishes Trump a quick recovery.
Already on Saturday evening (local time), Biden had stated that he was grateful that Trump was safe and doing well. In the US, there is "no place for this kind of violence."
07:21 Open Questions to the Secret ServiceFBI Agent Kevin Rojek speaks at a press conference, finding it "surprising" that the protective detail could return fire. In response to a question about security measures, he states that such questions should be answered by the Secret Service. Despite the name, the Secret Service is not a secret service, but (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 stated that the Democrats would stop all campaign ads as soon as possible.
06:50 Shooter fired from a roof near the rallyAnthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesperson, states that the suspect fired "multiple shots at 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 reportedly a 20-year-old from PennsylvaniaThe person who shot Trump is a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania, according to a source familiar with the investigation of the "Washington Post." Officially, the FBI states that they have not yet identified the shooter, but are "close" to doing so. The shooter is dead. According to Pennsylvania police, it is too early to say whether it was a lone gunman. There is also no evidence of "any further threat."
06:25 Media: Trump released from hospitalTrump was discharged from the hospital late on Saturday evening (local time) according to a Bloomberg report.
06:01 FBI confirms attempted assassination against Ex-President Trump at rallyAfter the shootings at a campaign event in the US state of Pennsylvania, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has classified the incident as an "attempted assassination" against former President Donald Trump. "This was an attempted assassination against our former president Donald Trump," FBI Agent Kevin Rojek in Butler, the location of the rally, said. Trump was injured at the ear due to the shootings, according to law enforcement officials. A suspect was killed and two others were severely wounded.
04:41 Biden phones Trump after attack
US President Joe Biden personally phoned the Republican. The White House confirmed this without disclosing the contents of the conversation. On Sunday, Biden will be briefed at the White House by law enforcement agencies about the status of the investigations, it was further stated.
03:58 Republicans to hold convention despite Trump attackThe US Republicans plan to hold their nominating convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as planned this week, despite the attack on their presidential candidate Donald Trump. The party and Trump's campaign team made this clear in a joint statement. The Republicans will gather in Milwaukee from Monday to officially nominate the 78-year-old as their presidential candidate.
03:54 Shooter fired from elevated positionIn the attack on the 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 severely injured, the Secret Service reported. Initially, it was reported that one person had been seriously injured.
02:55 Trump: I was hit by a bullet in the earFormer US President Donald Trump, according to his own statements, was hit by a bullet in the ear during the attack at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. "I was hit by a bullet in the ear, which pierced the upper part of my right ear," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
00:33 Shots fired at Trump: Secret Service escorts Ex-President from stageFormer US President Donald Trump was escorted from the stage by security personnel during a campaign event in Pennsylvania after shots were fired. In the images, Trump is seen with a bloody ear and raised fist.
In the context of discussions surrounding the United States Presidency Election 2024, political analysts are closely monitoring how the recent attack on former President Donald Trump might impact his potential campaign. This focus on the potential political implications arises from the fact that Trump, despite being a Republican, reportedly donated to a Democratic donation organization shortly after Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021. [Source: 08:00 Alleged shooter registered as a Republican]
Regarding the 2024 presidential race, both major parties have been making significant moves. While the Republicans have announced that the nominating convention will proceed as scheduled, featuring Trump as their presidential candidate, the Democrats have expressed a willingness to halt campaign ads following the attack on Trump. [Source: 07:21 Open Questions to the Secret Service, 03:58 Republicans to hold convention despite Trump attack]
