Donald Trump rally shooting : Killed suspect was registered Republican

The news conference has now ended. It was notable that the officials were cagey with the information they were willing to reveal, although they did give us some details:

• FBI official Kevin Rojek said that an “assassination attempt” had taken place against Trump.
• Authorities declined to identify the gunman, the spectator who was killed or the two individuals who were wounded. A state police official said all of the victims were adult men.
• The FBI said it was still trying to determine a motive.
• Authorities said there is no reason to believe there is any existing threat.
• They said the scene was still being cleared, with suspicious items around the shooter’s body still being assessed.
  

  Hope to defuse tensions complicated by accusations and blame

  People I’ve been speaking to in the last few hours have said that there is a moment here for political leaders in the United States to try and defuse the rhetoric, to try and calm tensions.

  But it’s made much more difficult by the fact that on social media already, conspiracy theories are being spread. Both sides are pointing the finger at one another. Both sides are talking about how the other heightened political tensions and something like this was almost inevitably bound to happen.

  What is clear is that many people across the United States will be going to bed tonight worried about what happened. This was an apparent assassination attempt on a former president, and they will be worried about what it means for the country just five months from the election.

  More world leaders react to Trump shooting

  • Argentina’s populist right-wing leader Javier Milei blamed the “international left” for the shooting, saying that it had resorted to “terrorism” to impose its agenda.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he and his wife Sara were “shocked” by the shooting. “We pray for his safety and speedy recovery,” he added.
  • Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent her “solidarity and… best wishes for a speedy recovery”. She added that she hoped “the next few months of the electoral campaign will see dialogue and responsibility prevail over hatred and violence”.
  • Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply concerned by the attack on my friend, former President Donald Trump”. He condemned the incident and said that “violence has no place in politics and democracies”.
  • Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva condemned the attack, saying it had to be “vehemently repudiated by all defenders of democracy and dialogue in politics”.
    

    No reason to believe there is remaining threat: State police official

    The official added that Pennsylvania State Police will take the lead in the investigation of the killing of the spectator and the wounding of the two individuals.

    The FBI, however, will take the lead in investigating the attack on Trump.

    “At this time, we have no reason to believe there is another existing threat,” the state police official said.

    FBI official says no motive yet identified

    FBI official Rojek added that officials were not yet ready to release the shooter’s identity.

    ‘Assassination attempt took place against Trump’: FBI

    FBI official Kevin Rojek made the announcement during a news conference currently being held.

    We’ll bring you more from the conference shortly.

    House to launch investigation into attack: Johnson

    In a post on X, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the chamber will “conduct a full investigation of the tragic events today”.

    He said Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and officials from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security will be called to testify.

    The announcement comes amid questions and criticisms of how the shooter was able to get so close to Trump.

    Biden’s age dominated US political discourse ahead of rally attack

    It remains to be seen how today’s attack will affect the US presidential race, which has already seen several unprecedented turns.

    Most recently, concerns over Biden’s age have dominated US headlines, with a slate of Democrats calling on the president to step aside after a weak debate showing against Trump last month.

    Just weeks before that, Trump became the first former US president in history to be convicted on criminal charges. He was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments he made to an adult film actress.

    Trump also faces three other separate criminal trials. He has seized on the prosecutions as evidence of a political “witch-hunt” against him.

    Republican legislator says nephew among wounded at rally

    Republican US Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas told Fox News that his nephew had been wounded at the rally.

    The US Secret Service has earlier said that one spectator was killed and two others were critically wounded in the shooting. Their identities were not immediately released.

    “He was grazed in the neck. A bullet crossed his neck, cut his neck and he was bleeding,” Jackson said.

    Suspect identified by FBI: CNN

    Sources have told a CNN reporter that the FBI has identified the shooter as a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania.

    We’ll have more on this as soon as we get it.

    Hungary’s Orban reacts to shooting

    Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary who on Thursday headed to Florida to meet Trump after the end of the NATO summit in Washington, DC, has also issued a statement about the shooting.

    “My thoughts and prayers are with President @realDonaldTrump in these dark hours,” the nationalist leader wrote on X.

    Former President Trump has been allowed to leave hospital following treatment for injuries sustained during the shooting, reports Bloomberg.

    The governor of Pennsylvania has also posted on social media that Trump has left the Butler area where the shooting took place.

    FBI leading Trump rally shooting probe

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a statement saying it is leading the investigation into the shooting at the Trump rally.

    “The FBI has assumed the role of the lead federal law enforcement agency in the investigation of the incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred earlier today in Butler, Pennsylvania,” it said.

    Earlier, the FBI had said its personnel were on the scene and that it would continue to work jointly with the Secret Service as the investigation moved forward.

    Hedge funder Bill Ackman endorses Trump after attack

    Ackman has become the second billionaire to endorse Trump in the immediate wake of the shooting, following Tesla founder Elon Musk.

    In a post on X, Ackman did not reference today’s attack, instead saying he had made the “decision some time ago”.

    Ackman had previously supported Democrat Dean Phillips, who launched a longshot bid against Biden in the primary.