Official investigations into the assassination of former US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania on Saturday are ongoing.
A bullet fired by a sniper from a nearby rooftop grazed Trump’s right ear as he began to address a crowd of supporters.
Trump, with a bloody ear, was escorted by U.S. Secret Service agents to a nearby hospital and the shooting suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot within seconds by the Secret Service.
As the organization responsible for investigating assassinations and attempted assassinations of presidents and presidential candidates, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will take the lead in the investigation. However, other agencies, including the state police, Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security, will also be involved.
Here’s everything we know about the ongoing investigation:
Who is investigating the shooting?
The FBI released a statement Saturday saying its personnel are in Butler and are working closely with the Secret Service to investigate the attempted assassination of the former president.
The FBI is investigating the shooter and security at the rally.
The investigation into the murder of Corey Comperatore, a rally attendee who died while trying to protect his family from bullets, “falls under the jurisdiction of the State of Pennsylvania, therefore the Pennsylvania State Police have investigative responsibility for this murder,” said the former FBI agent Kenneth Gray. he told Al Jazeera.
When it comes to investigating the security implemented at the rally, the focus will likely be on security planning before the event and responding to the attack when it occurred, experts said. “The goal is to identify any gaps in security provision and fix them for future events,” Gray said.
President Joe Biden also ordered the Department of Homeland Security to implement an independent review of the incident, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Monday.
“We will actually study the event independently and make recommendations to the Secret Service. It is very important that the facts be verified by an independent body outside of the Department of Homeland Security so that the integrity of the investigative process and the conclusions reached and recommendations made have the full confidence of the government and the American people.”
What has the investigation discovered so far?
So far, the FBI has only announced that it searched the shooter’s home and vehicle, where explosive devices were discovered. The motive for the shooting remains unknown.
What evidence related to the shooter is the FBI analyzing?
- The FBI’s most recent update on the case said bomb technicians deemed “suspicious devices” found in Crooks’ home and vehicles to be safe. These devices are now being evaluated at the FBI Laboratory.
- Gray said the FBI investigation would likely “include interviews with witnesses to the rally, anyone who may know the shooter.” [and] a search of his residence and car.
- The organization is also expected to carry out “forensic evidence collection, digital forensics and other aspects,” Gray said, adding that “social media will certainly be analyzed, as will the shooter’s phone.”
What security concerns have been raised so far?
While the FBI has not revealed details about any part of its investigation, reports emerged Monday that the roof from which Crooks shot Trump had been “identified by the Secret Service as a potential vulnerability in the days leading up to the event.”
An unnamed former senior Secret Service agent was quoted by US news network NBC as saying: “Someone should have been on the roof or securing the building so no one could get on the roof.”
Mayorkas also told ABC News that the shooter should never have been able to assume the position he did: “A direct line of sight like that to the former president should not have occurred.”
How did the Secret Service respond?
The Secret Service issued a statement Monday to address growing concerns about security at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee.
Director Kimberly Cheatle said, “I am confident in the security plan that our RNC Secret Service coordinator and our partners have implemented, which we have reviewed and strengthened following Saturday’s shooting.”
Regarding the shooting at the rally in Pennsylvania, Cheatle said: “Secret Service personnel on the scene acted quickly during the incident, with our counter-sniper team neutralizing the shooter and our agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of the former president. Donald Trump.
“The Secret Service is working with all federal, state and local agencies involved to understand what happened, how it happened and how we can prevent an incident like this from happening again. We understand the importance of the independent review announced yesterday by President Biden and will participate fully. We will also work with the appropriate parliamentary committees on any oversight action.”
What will the investigation into the shooter result in?
So far, the FBI has said it does not believe anyone else was involved in the shooting.
“Although the investigation to date indicates that the shooter acted alone, the FBI continues to conduct logical investigative activities to determine whether there were any co-conspirators associated with this attack. At this time, there are no current public safety concerns,” he said in an updated statement Monday.
Because Crooks was shot and killed by the Secret Service, “the end result will be an investigative report as there will be no criminal prosecution,” Gray said.
If new information is revealed showing that other people were involved, the FBI is expected to expand its investigation.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
