Assassination attempt on Trump thwarted by Secret Service at rally
14 July 2024 15:27
During a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, there was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The assailant aimed at him with a gun, but the bullet only grazed the former US president's ear. According to initial reports, the assailant used an AR-15 rifle.
The assailant shot at Trump from the roof of an industrial plant building approximately 131 yards away from the stage.
Secret Service representatives reported that an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a common weapon in mass shootings in the United States, was found next to the man's body.
The AR-15 is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle developed by ArmaLite in the 1950s. As American media reminds us, this rifle—and similar ones—has been a "flashpoint" in the debate over gun usage in the USA. Its frequent use in mass shootings has led to considerable controversy over its availability in the civilian market in the USA.
In 1994, the USA introduced a federal assault weapons ban aimed at limiting the sale of so-called assault rifles, including the AR-15 and its derivatives, on the civilian market. However, the ban was circumvented by modifying the weapons so they no longer fit the definition of "assault rifle". As a result, the ban was lifted in 2004.
Leads on the perpetrator of the attack
In the early hours of Sunday morning, the FBI reported that the perpetrator of the assassination attempt on Trump had been preliminarily identified.
The Associated Press, citing police sources, reported that he was a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania. The "New York Post," also citing law enforcement, stated that the 20-year-old's name was Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was a Bethel Park resident. No motive was given.