Concern before the party conference: Republicans working with 40 security agencies
The Republican Party Chairman, Michael Whatley, assures that the authorities are working intensely to ensure security at the upcoming Republican Party convention in Milwaukee. They are working with 40 different security agencies, as yet undisclosed preparations, Whatley tells Fox News.
15:44 Top Advisor to Trump Team: "Please report anything suspicious immediately" Top advisors to Donald Trump's campaign team advise caution. "We are reinforcing the armed security presence 24/7 with officers on site. Additional security checks are being conducted. Our top priority is to ensure the safety of all staff", the "Washington Post" quotes Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles from a joint memo. "We urge you to recognize the political polarization in this heated election. Please report anything suspicious immediately to the leadership or on-site security team", it continues.
15:24 Witnesses describe chaotic scenes at Trump assassination attempt During Trump's campaign speech in Pennsylvania, shots were fired, causing chaos and panic. Witnesses speak of speculation about fireworks, the sound of gunshots, gunmen on the roof, and the moment Trump fell to the ground.
14:58 Leading Republican: "We need to tone down the rhetoric" The President of the US House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, is working to calm things down. "We need to tone down the rhetoric", he says on MSNBC. "We need to lower the temperature in this country."
14:30 Expert: "Trump assassination attempt is an opportunity for Biden"
14:03 Trump calls for unity "It's more important than ever that we come together", Trump writes on his Truth Social platform. He is already looking forward to speaking in Wisconsin "to our great country" this week. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Republican National Convention takes place from Monday to Thursday. Trump writes further, he is praying for the wounded, and holds the memory of the slain citizen "in our hearts". Trump had already called for unity in his inaugural address as US President in January 2017.
12:58 NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg shocked by assassination attempt NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is shocked by the attack on Trump. "I am shocked by the attempted assassination of former President Trump", Stoltenberg writes on X. He wishes Trump a speedy recovery and is thinking of the victims. Political violence has no place in democracies. The NATO allies are standing together to defend freedom and values.
12:13 Video shows seconds between the shooter's shots and the Secret Service's shots The American gossip news site TMZ shows a video in which both the shooter's shots and the shots, which may have saved Trump's life only seconds later, can be heard. The attack caused panic among the onlookers. The recording was made from outside the area where the rally was taking place, as TMZ reports.
11:40 Secret Service refutes Republican claim The Secret Service has refuted the claim that they had denied additional security resources to Trump in the last few months. "The allegation that a member of the former President's security detail requested additional security resources that 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 had 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 a stronger secret service protection for President Trump. Waltz did not provide any evidence.
11:16 Steinmeier wishes Trump swift recovery Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned the attack and expressed his condolences to the family of the victim's family: "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 with us. We can all contribute: Let us respect violence in political disputes! Let us push back hatred and hate speech from election campaigns and debates! Democracy tolerates sharp controversies - but violence destroys democracy. Donald J. Trump and the injured I wish a swift recovery. My deepest condolences to the family of the victim of the attack."
10:32 Expert: "Trump produced that image directly, instinctively" Within seconds of the shots being fired, Donald Trump is seen standing 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 shots A video posted on X shows a sharpshooter at the Trump rally in the exact moment the shots were 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 Participant warned security before the attack Before the shots were fired at Trump's campaign rally in Butler, participants had noticed a man with a rifle on a roof near the venue. One of them, Greg Smith, notified the security personnel: "Hey man, there's a guy with a rifle on the roof", he later told the BBC. The response was: "Ha, what?", as if the security personnel did not know what was going on. "I thought: Why is Trump still talking, why didn't they get 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 commented on the attack against US Presidential candidate Donald Trump: "The attack on US Presidential candidate Donald Trump is despicable. I wish him a quick recovery. My thoughts are also with the people who were affected by this act of violence. Such acts threaten democracy."
08:28 Photographer took picture of possible projectileNew York Times photographer Doug Mills apparently took a picture 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 projectile." In general, it is possible to photograph a flying bullet, Harrigan added. Mills used a Sony digital camera at the Trump rally, which can take up to 30 pictures 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 alleged shooter as a man named Thomas Matthew Crooks. The 20-year-old, who was killed in the shooting incident, 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 points out that Crooks was 17 years old at the time of the donation. He registered as a member of the Republican Party in September 2021, when he turned 18.
07:46 Expert: "Secret Service needs to answer some questions"Donald Trump, as a former President and candidate, is under the protection of the Secret Service. There are strict security measures in place at all campaign events, as Obama's former campaign advisor Julius van de Laar reports. It remains to be clarified how such an attacker was able to approach Trump.
07:38 World leaders react in shockWorld leaders reacted in shock to the attack on former President Trump. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X, "I am deeply shocked, wishing Trump a quick recovery and expressing my condolences to the innocent victim's family. Political violence has no place in a democracy." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also expressed his thoughts: "My thoughts are with former President Trump, the participants of the event, and all Americans."
The United Nations also condemned the attack on Trump. "The Secretary-General strongly condemns this act of political violence," the UN spokesperson announced. "He wishes President Trump a quick recovery." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also shared his thoughts: "I am shocked by the news of the attack. Such violence has no justification and no place in the world. May Trump recover quickly."
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."
07:21 Open Questions to the Secret ServiceFBI agent Kevin Rojek speaks at a press conference and finds it "surprising" that the protector fired several shots. In response to questions about security measures, he states that such questions should be answered by the Secret Service. Contrary to its name, the Secret Service is not a secret service, but rather responsible for the security of US Presidents and former US Presidents, among other things.
"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 announced that the nomination 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 announced that the Democrats will stop all campaign ads as soon as possible.
06:50 Shooter shot from a roof near the rallyAnthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the Secret Service, says the suspect fired "multiple shots towards the stage" and was on "an elevated position" outside the event venue. 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". The FBI officially 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 indication of "any further threat," they add.
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 confirms attempted murder against 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 murder" against former President Donald Trump. "This is an attempt to assassinate our former President Donald Trump," FBI agent Kevin Rojek says at a press conference in Butler, the location of the rally. Trump was injured in the ear by the gunfire, according to law enforcement reports. One other person, in addition to the suspect, was killed and two others were seriously injured.
03:58 Republicans 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 will gather in Milwaukee starting on Monday to officially nominate the 78-year-old Trump as their presidential candidate.
03:54 Shooter fired from "elevated position"During 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 severely injured, according to the Secret Service. Initially, it was reported that one person had been seriously injured.
02:55 Trump: I was hit by a bullet in my earFormer US President Donald Trump claimed in a post on his Truth Social platform that he was hit by a bullet during the attack at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. "I was hit by a bullet in my ear, which pierced the upper part of my right ear," Trump wrote.
00:33 Shots fired at Trump: Secret Service agents escort ex-President off stageFormer US President Donald Trump was escorted off the stage during a campaign event in Pennsylvania after shots were fired. Prior to this, images showed Trump with a bloody ear and raised fist.
In light of the escalating tensions leading up to the US Presidency Election 2024, political strategists for both Joe Biden and Donald Trump's campaigns are advising vigilance. Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, top advisors to Donald Trump, warn their team to take all necessary precautions, including reinforcing security and conducting additional checks (Referenced from the text).
As the US Presidential race heats up, conversations surrounding security during the 2024 US Presidency Election are becoming increasingly commonplace in political circles. (Original sentence without referencing the text)
