The FBI has named Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect in the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump, News About Nigeria reports.
The incident occurred during a rally in Pennsylvania, where Secret Service agents swiftly intervened after gunshots were fired.
Trump was immediately taken off stage and transported to safety, later returning to his home in New Jersey.
According to a statement on the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) website, Trump is “doing well” and expressed gratitude to law enforcement officers.
The FBI is treating the incident as an assassination attempt.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social network, detailed the harrowing experience, stating that a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong when I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Trump wrote.
Blood was visible on Trump’s ear and face as he was escorted away by protection officers.
The FBI confirmed that the investigation is “active and ongoing.”
Pennsylvania police assured the public that there were no further threats following the incident.
Crooks, armed with an AR-style rifle, fired from a building a few hundred meters away from the rally venue.
He was shot dead at the scene by a US Secret Service sniper.
A bystander was also killed, and two others were critically injured in the shooting, officials confirmed.
The identification of Crooks, who was not carrying an ID, was made through DNA analysis.
The motive for the assassination attempt remains unknown.
Crooks, a registered Republican, had donated $15 to a liberal campaign group in 2021, according to US media reports.
The rally, held in Butler, Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state for the upcoming election, turned chaotic as multiple gunshots rang out while Trump was speaking.
Witnesses described the panic that ensued, with many ducking for cover and pointing out the shooter to police.
One witness, Greg, recounted seeing a suspicious person “bear crawling” on the roof of a nearby building with a rifle.
The incident drew national and international condemnation. President Joe Biden deplored the attack, stating, “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence.”
Former President Barack Obama and other political figures echoed similar sentiments, stating that political violence has no place in a democracy.
The UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, also condemned the shooting, expressing his shock and support for the victims.
Despite the attack, Trump’s campaign managers confirmed that he would still accept the party’s nomination for president at the upcoming convention in Milwaukee.
