The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) today said security agencies in the US are not yet ready to identify the shooter behind the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and will inform the press once they are “100 percent sure”.
In a press briefing hours after Trump was shot during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek said, “At this time, we are not ready to identify who the shooter is. We are close to identifying that. As soon as we have 100 percent confidence in who that individual is, we will share it with the press.”
The FBI official also said they were not yet sure of the motive behind the murder attempt, which left one person dead and two others seriously injured.
“At this time we do not have a determined motive, however our investigators are working tirelessly to determine what the motive was,” he said.
The FBI is the lead federal law enforcement agency investigating this attempted assassination.
An updated statement from the FBI on the incident that occurred today in Butler, Pennsylvania. pic.twitter.com/6fWqcTbA1S
— FBI (@FBI) July 14, 2024
The agency said the operation site in Butler remains an “active crime scene.” “We are working closely with other federal agencies, our state partners and our local police partners.”
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Colonel Chris Parisi told the media that they are working closely with the FBI in this investigation. He said, “We are prepared to support this investigation in any way we can. And we are prepared to participate in a full, fair, competent and thorough investigation.”
The FBI is also appealing to the public for any information about the shooting. Special Agent Rojek said, “We need the public’s help, anyone who was at the scene, anyone who saw anything… please report it to the FBI.”
The assassination attempt on Trump, US President Joe Biden’s biggest rival in the US elections later this year, has rung alarm bells in the country’s security establishment.
Several rounds were fired targeting the former president at the Butler rally yesterday. Trump said a bullet hit the upper part of his right ear. One person was killed and two others were seriously injured in the firing. Pictures show Secret Service personnel taking the former president to a safe place after the firing, with blood stains on his face.
US President Joe Biden has strongly condemned the incident and even spoke to his arch rival after the shooting.
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sickening. It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country… We can’t, we can’t condone this,” Biden told reporters at an emergency briefing after the attack on Trump.
“The idea that there is political violence, or violence of this sort, in America is unheard of. It’s not appropriate. Everybody should condemn it. Everybody,” Biden said.
