Former President Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, just days before he was set to accept the Republican nomination for a third time.
Trump was shot in the ear and swiftly taken to a safe place by the Secret Service agents, defiantly pumping his fist to reassure supporters of his well-being.
American President Joe Biden, who is running against Trump, spoke to Trump several hours after the shooting, the White House said.
World leaders have joined in to condemn this assassination attempt on President Trump.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted: “I am relieved to hear reports that former President Trump is now safe.”
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished his friend President Trump a “speedy recovery.”
The Trump campaign has confirmed that the presumptive GOP nominee was doing “fine” following the incident, despite the bullet piercing the upper part of his right ear.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong when I heard a whizzing sound and shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through my skin. There was much bleeding,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Following the incident, Trump was taken to a local Pennsylvania hospital before flying to New Jersey. He landed shortly after midnight at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The US authorities confirmed that one attendee was killed and two spectators were critically injured in the attack, all of whom were identified as men.
Further, the FBI identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The Secret Service neutralised the suspected shooter, who they said had attacked from an elevated position outside the rally venue. The investigation remains active and ongoing, according to the agency.
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