Washington-(ST)- Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was subjected to an assassination attempt yesterday Saturday during an election rally in the US state of Pennsylvania.
Agence France-Presse reported that the former US president was injured in his ear after he was shot during the rally in an assassination attempt that would fuel fears of instability before the presidential elections.
Video clips showed the 78-year-old former US president with his face stained with blood following the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, while the suspect and a bystander were killed, and two attendees were seriously injured.
The US Secret Service said in a statement: The suspect “fired several times towards the stage from a high position outside the gathering,” before members of the Secret Service “neutralized” him, announcing the death of one of the attendees and the serious wounding of two others.
In turn, the current US President, Democrat Joe Biden, made a call with Trump after the incident, saying that “there is no place for this kind of violence in America.”
Meanwhile, Trump wrote on his electronic platform, “Truth Social,” “It is unbelievable that such an act would occur in our country,” and in statements, observers suggested that this assassination attempt would inflame the political hatred camping against the United States.
The FBI confirmed during a press conference late last night that the shooting during the election festival was an assassination attempt, indicating that it was close to identifying the suspect in the shooting.
The incident sparked widespread reactions, as a number of Republicans were quick to make accusations, and Senator J.D. Vance, one of the potential candidates on Trump’s electoral ticket, blamed Biden’s speech.
The shooting came during Trump’s final campaign rally before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week.
His election campaign confirmed that Trump would attend the conference after reports that he had undergone precautionary medical examinations.
It is noteworthy that United States has witnessed several incidents of political violence
Former US President Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt in 1981.
Hanan Shamout