Assassination attempt on Trump thwarted at Pennsylvania rally
14 July 2024 10:29
During an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, there was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The attacker aimed a weapon at him, but the bullet only grazed the former US president's ear. According to preliminary reports, the assailant used an AR-15 rifle.
The attacker fired at Trump from the roof of an industrial plant building, about 120 metres away from the stage.
Representatives of the Secret Service reported that an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle was found next to the man's body, a common tool used by crime perpetrators in massacres in the United States.
The AR-15 is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle developed by ArmaLite in the 1950s. As American media recall, this rifle - and similar ones - have been the "flashpoint" in the debate over gun use in the USA. Its frequent use in mass shootings has sparked numerous controversies over the availability of AR-15s in the civilian market in the USA.
In 1994, the federal assault weapons ban was introduced in the USA, which aimed to restrict the sale of so-called assault rifles, including AR-15s and their derivatives, in the civilian market. However, the ban was circumvented by modifying the rifles so they departed from the definition of an "assault rifle". This led to the ban being lifted in 2004.
Leads regarding the assailant
On the night from Saturday to Sunday, the FBI reported that the assailant on Trump had been preliminarily identified.
The AP agency, citing police sources, reported that it was a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania. The "New York Post," also citing the services, reported that the 20-year-old's name was Thomas Matthew Crooks, and he was a resident of Bethel Park. The motive was not disclosed.
