The US Secret Service spotted Donald Trump’s attacker on the roof of a building 20 minutes before he shot the former president and Republican candidate at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, it said on Wednesday. ABC television channel.
The outlet, citing law enforcement officials and lawmakers familiar with the matter, said Secret Service snipers spotted the attempted assassin of Trump, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, at 5:52 p.m., while the shooting took place at 6:12 p.m.
It also reveals other key moments leading up to the attack that FBI and Secret Service leaders communicated to lawmakers: Crooks was identified as a person of interest an hour before the first shot was fired, at 5:10 p.m., and was seen using a rangefinder 20 minutes later.
The information comes from a meeting between law enforcement agencies and lawmakers held Thursday, attended by Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, who told Fox News that Crooks had a rangefinder and a backpack and the Secret Service “lost sight of him.”
Meanwhile, CBS cites other details shared by authorities after accessing the attacker’s phone: before the attack, he searched for images of Trump and President Joe Biden; the former’s subsequent speeches and the Democratic National Convention; and depression, among other things.
Trump was shot in the ear during the rally before Secret Service snipers shot the shooter dead, killing one member of the audience and wounding two others, initially in critical condition, who have since been upgraded to serious but stable condition.
Four days after the attack, the FBI, which is leading the investigation into the incident, has yet to clarify the attacker’s motive, while calls are growing from political representatives for Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle to take responsibility.
The US government is also conducting an independent investigation into the failures, has beefed up Trump’s security detail and provided Secret Service agents to independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr.
Source: www.eldiario.es
