*Photo: Donald Trump*
The FBI has named Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, as the attacker in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Trump is “safe” after being escorted off the stage with blood on ear and cheek after shooting at a Pennsylvania rally.
Secret Service says its personnel killed the suspected attacker; one spectator was killed and two others critically injured in the shooting.
Trump says he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part” of his right ear. The FBI confirms an “assassination attempt”.
Politicians from across the spectrum offer support to Trump, with President Joe Biden saying “there’s no place for this kind of violence” in the US. Leaders from across the world also condemned the attack.
Suspect was registered Republican, donated to liberal organisation: Report
Some information is emerging about the political affiliations of 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who the FBI has named the as the “subject involved” in Trump’s “assassination attempt”.
The Associated Press news agency, citing voter records, reported that Crooks was a registered Republican in Pennsylvania.
Crooks also donated $15 to a progressive political action committee on January 20, 2021, the same day US President Biden was inaugurated into office, according to the AP, citing campaign finance records.
Trump shooting symptom of ‘troubled’ US system: Presidential candidate
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has said that the assassination attempt is about a broader structural crisis plaguing the United States.
“What happened to Trump today, I think is a symptom of a very troubled system right now – I mean a troubled political system within a very troubled society,” the three-time White House third-party hopeful and far-left activist told the AFP news agency.
“It’s so sad and so tragic. In a way it’s sort of the tip of the iceberg, in that we have an extremely troubled society. And it’s extremely important to recognize none of us is immune from the consequences of that.”
Shooter was over 100 metres from Trump: Report
The suspect was about 120-150 metres away from Trump when he fired during the rally, according to a CNN analysis of the two men’s geolocated positions.
Earlier, the FBI said the attacker took aim from an “elevated position” outside the rally before he was shot dead by the bureau’s forces.
CNN, citing law enforcement sources, reported the attacker was “on a building rooftop just outside the rally venue”.
Credit: Aljazeera