The attack left one person dead and at least one seriously injured.
The alleged shooter, who has not been identified, has also died.
Former US President Donald Trump was slightly injured this Saturday at a pre-campaign event held in Pennsylvania from which he was evacuated with blood on his face after being shot by an unidentified man, who has been “neutralized” by security forces.
Trump himself has recounted the episode through his social network, Truth Social, where he has thanked “the United States Secret Service and all law enforcement agencies for their rapid response to the shooting” and has expressed his “condolences to the family of the person who died in the demonstration and also to the family of another person who was seriously injured.”
The Republican has told in the first person how he was shot with a bullet that passed through the top of his right ear. “I knew immediately that something was wrong because I heard a whistle, gunshots and I immediately felt the bullet go through my skin. There was a lot of bleeding, so I realized what was happening,” he continued.
“It is incredible that an act like this could occur in our country,” he added, while confirming that “the shooter is now dead”, although “nothing else is known” about him.
Previously, the head of communications for the US Secret Service, Anthony Guglielmi, had reported in a statement that “on the night of July 13, an incident occurred at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania” and that the Secret Service had implemented the relevant protective measures.
“The former president is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and more information will be released when it becomes available,” the note added.
In parallel, the spokesman for the Republican candidate, Steven Cheung, assured that Trump was fine thanks to the “quick action” of law enforcement and emergency services “during this atrocious act” and that he was being examined at a medical center. local, from which he was discharged a few hours later.
SUSPECT “NEUTRALIZED”
The incident has left at least one dead and one seriously injured and police sources have confirmed that the main suspect behind the shooting has been “neutralized.”
“An audience member and the shooter have died following a shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania,” Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said, adding that a second spectator was present. in serious condition.
The same sources have pointed out that the person who shot Trump was presumably on the roof of a building located outside the venue where the event was being held; at a distance of about 120 or 150 meters from the politician, according to a position analysis prepared by CNN based on the reports received.
However, there are still many details that are unknown regarding the incident, its author, its motivation and its victims. In this sense, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, has promised to conduct a “full investigation into the tragic events.”
“The American people deserve to know the truth. We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI appear at a hearing before our committees as soon as possible,” he concluded. .
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
The FBI has described the event as an assassination attempt against the former president and has called on the public to communicate any information that could help in the investigation, while they continue “working feverishly to identify the individual who did this and the perpetrators.” reasons why it was done.”
“This afternoon, we had what we call an assassination attempt against our former President Donald Trump. It is still an active crime scene,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, Kevin Rojek, in a statement. Press conference.
For his part, Pennsylvania State Police Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens added that a shooter has been “provisionally identified”, but has assured that their work will not end here since they are “following up on a lot of information” and ” It will be some time until they (can) conclusively answer” the question of who was responsible for the shooting.
However, Bivens has guaranteed that there are currently “no reasons to believe that another threat exists.”
TRUMP LOOKS FORWARD TO THE REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE
Far from being intimidated by what happened, Trump’s advisors have stated that he “looks forward” to the planned Republican National Convention in Milwaukee for next week.
“President Trump looks forward to joining all of you in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him as the 47th president of the United States. As our party’s candidate, President Trump will continue to share his vision of making America great again,” reads a press release.
After the incident, President Joe Biden has contacted his predecessor in office and announced the advancement of his return to Washington to “continue receiving information from law enforcement,” instead of spending the weekend in Delaware as planned.
Previously, the president has condemned the events in his account in X, showing himself “grateful” that Trump is safe and has defended that “there is no place in the United States for this type of violence.”
