8:00 Possible suspects registered as Republicans
The FBI has identified the suspected shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks. He is a 20-year-old man from the small town of Bethel Park in the US state of Pennsylvania, about an hour south of Butler, where the Trump rally took place. According to the "Washington Post," Crooks is registered as a Republican.
07:46 Expert: "Secret Service needs to answer some questions"Former President and presidential candidate Donald Trump is under the protection of the Secret Service. There are highest security precautions at all campaign events, as Obama's former campaign advisor Julius van de Laar reports. It remains to be worked out how such an attack by a Secret Service agent could have occurred.
07:38 World leaders express shockWorld leaders reacted in shock to the attack on former 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 family of the innocent victim. "Political violence has no place in a democracy," she writes. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also expresses his thoughts with Trump, the participants of the event, and all Americans.
The United Nations also condemns the attack on Trump. "The Secretary-General strongly condemns this act of political violence," explains the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres. "He wishes President Trump a quick recovery." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also 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 quick recovery.
Biden had already stated on Saturday evening (local time) 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 and finds it "surprising" that the shooter was able to fire several shots. In response to a question about security measures, he says that such questions must be answered by the Secret Service. Although the name suggests otherwise, the Secret Service is not an intelligence agency 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 located," 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 be officially nominated as the Republican presidential candidate. US President Biden shares 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, says the suspected shooter fired "multiple shots towards the stage" and was located "on an elevated position" outside the event venue. Therefore, a roof near the demonstration must 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 to the "Washington Post". The FBI officially stated that they have not identified the shooter yet but are "close" to it. The shooter is dead. According to the Pennsylvania police, it is too early to say if 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 evening (local time) according to a report by the news agency Bloomberg.
06:01 FBI classifies Trump shooting attempt as assassination attemptFollowing the shootings at a campaign rally in the US state of Pennsylvania, the FBI classifies the incident as an "assassination attempt" against former President Donald Trump. "This is an assassination attempt against our former President Donald Trump," says FBI Agent Kevin Rojek in Butler, the location of the rally. Trump was injured in the ear by the gunshots, according to law enforcement reports. One bystander was killed, and two others were severely wounded.
04:41 Biden phones Trump after attackUS President Joe Biden phoned Trump personally after the attack on his predecessor, according to the White House, without disclosing the contents of the conversation. On Sunday, Biden will be briefed by law enforcement agencies about the status of the investigation, it was further stated.
03:58 Republicans plan to hold convention despite Trump attackThe US Republicans plan to hold their nomination convention in Milwaukee this week as planned, despite the attack on their presidential candidate Donald Trump. The party and Trump's campaign team made this known in a joint statement. The Republicans will gather in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, starting Monday to officially nominate the 78-year-old as their presidential candidate.
03:54 Agents: Shooter fired from an elevated positionDuring the attack on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, the suspected shooter opened fire from an "elevated position" outside the event venue. One bystander was killed, and two others were severely wounded, according to the Secret Service. Initially, it was reported that one person was seriously injured.
02:55 Trump: I was hit by a bullet in my earFormer US President Donald Trump claims, according to his own statements, that he was hit by a bullet in his ear during the attack at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. "I was hit by a bullet in the upper part of my right ear," Trump wrote on his self-founded platform Truth Social.
00:33 Shots fired at Trump: Secret Service agents escort ex-president from stageFormer US President Donald Trump was escorted from the stage by security personnel following shots fired during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. In the images, Trump is seen with a bloody ear and raised fist.
In the context of potential candidates for the U.S. Presidential Election 2024, former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden might express their views on political violence and its place in democracy.
After the incident, the Secret Service may conduct a thorough review of their security measures, as they are responsible for the security of U.S. presidents and former presidents.
