The US Secret Service on Sunday denied claims that it had refused additional protection for Donald Trump ahead of his Pennsylvania campaign rally, where he was shot in the ear in an assassination attempt.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on social media platform X that the assertions were “absolutely false,” adding that the agency had “added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”
The 78-year-old former president was hit in the ear at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, while the shooter and a bystander were killed and two spectators critically injured in the worst act of US political violence in decades.
“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United,” Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social network, adding that Americans should not allow “Evil to win”.
The Republican added that it was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening” and that he would “FEAR NOT”.
The gunman has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about an hour’s drive from the rally site, according to an FBI statement early Sunday.
His motive remains unknown.
US President Joe Biden was getting a fresh briefing later Sunday at the White House on the assassination bid against his rival in November’s tense election.
The 81-year-old Democrat has called the attack “sick” and spoke to Trump afterwards. He also cut short a weekend at his vacation home and flew back to Washington to deal with the crisis.
Trump’s wife Melania said the gunman was a “monster,” who had attempted to silence her husband’s “laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration.”
World leaders also condemned the attack, with the Kremlin on Sunday morning saying there was no place for violence in politics.
By AFP
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