Hours after an attempt to assassinate former US President and Republican presidential candidate for November 5 election, Donald Trump, the FBI identified the culprit as Thomas Crooks, a 20-year-old resident of Bethel Park in Pennsylvania.
The culprit got shot and killed at the scene by a Secret Service sniper. Reports stated that Crooks used his father’s gun to shoot Trump. The BBC noted that the assassin’s neighbours expressed shock at the attempt by a reserved individual like him.
The incident has been making headlines across the globe. UAE President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed took to X on July 14 to highlight that his country “condemns in the strongest terms all forms of violence and terrorism.”
Thomas Crooks had often been bullied at school
The perpetrator behind Trump assassination attempt, Thomas Crooks, graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. Local media reports have described him as a bright student. Crooks even reportedly received a $500 cash prize for math and science.
His schoolmates labelled him as “socially reserved” and did not recall him ever discussing politics or Trump. But they mentioned that Crooks had often been bullied at school. He had joined a local nursing home kitchen, a short drive from his home in Pennsylvania.
US media noted that Crooks used to be a registered Republican. In fact, the upcoming November poll would have been his first time voting in a presidential election. The Saturday incident has again brought the infamous case of US gun violence in the limelight.
Direct line of sight “should not occur”
Donald Trump, a businessman-turned-politician, sustained injuries on his right ear. The assassination attempt also result in the death of one spectator at the election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A couple other people also got hurt in the incident.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “a direct line of sight like that to the former president should not occur.” “That is why president Biden directed an independent review of the incident,” he told ABC News on “Good Morning America” on Monday.
The US Secret Service has added additional security to Trump’s detail to ensure his continued protection for the Republican National Convention and the remainder of the campaign, the agency’s director Kimberly Cheatle said in a statement on Monday.
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