Secret Service had one job last night - and failed spectacularlypublished at 11:49 British Summer Time 14 July 2024

11:49 BST 14 July 2024

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

The FBI may be leading the investigation into how this could have happened, but the finger of blame points clearly at the Secret Service.

They have one job – to protect America’s presidents, both current and former – and in that they failed spectacularly last night.

It has been 43 years since the last assassination attempt on a serving US president when Ronald Reagan was shot in the lung but survived.

Today US politicians, and the public, want to know how a would-be assassin was able to crawl onto a rooftop vantage point, armed with a rifle and loose off four shots towards the podium, all in an area that was supposed to have been cleared.

The investigation already underway involves the FBI, the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security.

The Director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, has been summoned to testify before the US House of Representatives on 22 July.

Image source, Getty Images

The Oversight Committee - the main investigative board of the US House of Representatives - has summoned US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify at a hearing on 22 July.

"Americans demand answers about the assassination attempt of President Trump," the panel said in a statement on social media.

At a news conference earlier, FBI special agent Kevin Rojek said “it is surprising” that the gunman was able to open fire on the stage before the Secret Service killed him.

But when asked if there was a failure of security, he said they were "not gonna make that assessment" with an active investigation.

The Secret Service was not at the news conference.

Donald Trump was speaking at a campaign event in the city of Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday night when a gunman attempted to assassinate the former president.

Here's a breakdown of how that all unfolded. All times are local:

• 17:00: Trump was scheduled to start addressing the crowd
• 18:03: He takes the stage to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA”
• 18:11: Just a few minutes into his campaign speech, loud shots ring out
• 18:12: Secret Service agents swarm the former president before he is rushed off stage with blood near his ear and on the side of his face
• 18:14: Trump's motorcade leaves the rally
• 18:42: Secret Service issues a statement, external, confirming that Trump is safe and there is an active investigation into the incident
• 19:03: Trump’s campaign says he's “fine”
• 19:45: Law enforcement confirms that the suspect is dead, along with an audience member
• 20:13: Biden condemns the attack and says during a briefing that he is trying to speak with Trump over the phone as soon as possible
• 20:42: Trump shares his first account of what happened, saying a bullet pierced his upper part of his right ear
• 21:33: The FBI Pittsburgh says it is the lead federal law enforcement agency in the investigation

Image source, Getty Images

Tulsi Gabbard - a former Democratic congresswoman - has also questioned the rhetoric around Donald Trump.

She said the shooting is a "logical consequence of repeatedly comparing" the former president to Adolf Hitler.

"After all, if Trump truly was another Hitler, wouldn’t it be their moral duty to assassinate him?" said Gabbard, adding that she was praying for Trump, "and our country".

Image source, Reuters

Earlier, we reported Trump ally Nigel Farage highlighting "liberal intolerance" as a factor in Saturday's shooting.

JD Vance - who's on Trump's shortlist for potential running mates in November's election - made a similar point on Twitter / X after the assasination attempt.

While the gunman's motivation is not known, the Ohio senator wrote on X that he believed the Biden campaign's rhetoric was a factor.

"The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs," he wrote.

"That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination."

Following that video of the witness, here's footage from TMZ of the gunman himself crawling on the roof. Please be aware: this video contains distressing content.

Here's another look at a video we published earlier - a witness who says he saw a gunman on the roof before the shooting happened.

"We were telling the police, we were pointing at him for the Secret Service," he told the BBC's reporter at the scene, Gary O'Donoghue.

A senior adviser to Donald Trump's campaign says there are questions about how prepared the Secret Service was.

Speaking to the BBC World Service programme “Weekend”, Stephen Moore calls it a "scary day – we’re all in shock”.

"I got a text from one of my associates saying that Trump had been shot and my heart just sank, and I was afraid to ask the question ‘is he going to be alright?’" Moore says.

"It appeared from the video that he’d only been grazed by this bullet but what’s so frightening to all of us is that if that bullet had been one inch further towards his head this would have been an assassination."

Moore adds that "certainly Trump needs more protection - there’s a lot of inquiry now about whether the Secret Service was totally prepared".

Nigel Farage is also asked about the impact this incident could have on the presidential race.

He says Trump "lives and breathes by big rallies" - sometimes, he says, they have 10,000 attendees, sometimes 50,000.

"It's the energy that's generated [that] spreads out through communities and gets him his vote," he says, before asking: "Does Trump go on doing what he's always done?"

Farage suspects that "knowing Trump as I do", the former president will "carry on regardless".

The Trump campaign confirmed earlier that he still plans to attend the Republican National Convention - starting in Milwaukee on 15 July - despite being injured in a shooting on Saturday.

• You can watch the Laura Kuenssberg show, and re-watch Nigel Farage's interview, on this page

Reform UK leader - and long-time Donald Trump ally - Nigel Farage is joining Laura Kuenssberg on her Sunday political programme.

He begins by saying he's "very upset" by the attack on his "good friend" - but not surprised.

He says the "nasty" narrative put out by "liberals who oppose him" almost "encourages this type of behaviour".

He highlights recent reported comments by Joe Biden, before the shooting, about putting Trump "in the bullseye".

"Liberal intolerance is increasingly a part of this problem," Farage says, before outlining how he himself has been the victim of repeated physical attacks.

"And because it's me no-one cares," he says.

Joe Inwood
BBC News

I’ve been looking at a video which appears to show the first person to have been shot, hit by a bullet seemingly intended for former President Trump.

It is taken from a position in the crowd just to the right of the podium, and swings to look at one of the stands behind him at the crucial moment.

As Donald Trump says “take a look at what happened…” the first gunshot can be heard.

At this exact moment, a man in a white shirt and read baseball cap can be seen collapsing. He doubles over and seems to fall into the people in front of him.

This happens around a second before the next shot, and more than two seconds before anyone else reacts. Whilst it is impossible to be certain, it seems highly likely that this man was hit by the first bullet.

Joe Inwood
BBC News

Eyewitness accounts of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump talk of a man with an assault rifle able to take up position on a roof less than 200 metres from the former president.

This version of events is clearly borne out by the numerous videos that have emerged since the shooting.

One key bit of footage, taken from just south of a flat warehouse with beige walls, shows what seems to be the lifeless body of the shooter.

By comparing this to images from Google Maps, as well as the location of trees and eyewitness accounts, we confirmed that he was on top of this building.

That has now been confirmed by the authorities. As is clear from this image, it was just a short distance from the stage where the rally was taking place, leading to difficult questions for the security services.

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, posted on X earlier to acknowledge the "love and prayers" for her father and for the other victims of the "senseless violence".

"I am grateful to the Secret Service and all the other law enforcement officers for their quick and decisive actions today.

"I continue to pray for our country. I love you Dad, today and always."

Also posting on X, Donald Trump Jr pinned an image of his father being escorted away from the rally in Pennsylvania with his fist in the air and blood streaked across his face.

Alongside the image is the caption "He'll never stop fighting to Save America".

On the same platform, Tiffany Ariana Trump thanks God for her father being alive, adding that political violence is "never the answer".

"As you saw today, my father is a fighter and he will continue to fight for you and the USA."

After the shooting, President Joe Biden released a statement, expressing concern about the "sick" assassination attempt and saying he was "grateful" to hear that Donald Trump was safe.

"I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well," he said.

"I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety.

"There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it. It's sick, it's sick".

Vice-President Kamala Harris also released a statement, underlining that she is "relieved" Trump was not seriously injured.

"We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting."

It has since been confirmed that President Biden has spoken with Trump.

Our full story is here.

We have the first footage of Donald Trump since he survived the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

He can be seen walking off a plane and waving briefly as he descends to a waiting vehicle.

Donald Trump is "doing well" and is grateful to law enforcement officers, according to a statement published on the Republican National Committee (RNC), external website.

It says he "looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th president of the United States. As our party's nominee... [he] will continue to share his vision to Make America Great Again," the statement from the Trump campaign and RNC reads.

Earlier, Trump posted a statement on Truth Social, a platform he founded.

He thanked law enforcement officers and the Secret Service for their "rapid response".

"Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country," he said.

A dark and dangerous new chapter for American politicspublished at 07:56 British Summer Time 14 July 2024

07:56 BST 14 July 2024

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

The attack on Donald Trump has torn through the 2024 presidential campaign, damaging the social and cultural fabric of the nation.

The illusion of security and safety in American politics – built over decades - has been dramatically shattered.

Not since Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinkley Jr in 1981 has there been such a dramatic act of violence directed against a president - or presidential candidate.

When there is political violence in the US, there is intense political polarisation and dysfunction, when a firearm and an individual willing to use it could change the course of history.

It is difficult to predict the impact Saturday’s events will have on America - and its political discourse.

But for now, one thing is clear: in a year of uncharted electoral waters, America’s politics have taken a new, deadly turn.

Read the full analysis here.

Pennsylvania police say they have monitored no further threats following the shooting of Donald Trump on Saturday.

Gary O'Donoghue
Washington correspondent, speaking from Pennysylvania

It was pretty scary. We weren't in anything like as much danger as those in front of the stage, but to be honest when people start shooting you start getting frightened.

What we also saw as people started to stream out and we got to the point where we thought that it was reasonably safe to start working again was people were upset and angry, very emotional. Some were very, very angry indeed.

There are going to be so many questions about the security. It's an outdoor venue so it has a perimeter - why weren't they on every low roof around this venue? Why hadn't they checked those roofs? How did a man with a semi-automatic rifle get onto that roof and get a clear shot at a former president?

It's a shocking, shocking moment, I think, in American history.

The anger is sprayed all around - the problem is how it's going to land, where it's going to land and what it's going to mean not just for this election campaign but for the future of this country.

Political leadership has a choice as to how to process this, how to lead the country out of this and if it doesn't do it right things could get a lot worse.

He has been identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Here is what we know about him so far:

• Thomas Matthew Crooks was 20 years old
• He was from Bethel Park in Pennsylvania (70km/43 miles) from Butler, the site of the attempted assassination
• The gunman was shot dead by Secret Service agents - the FBI did not name him immediately while they waited for DNA results

The FBI statement added that this remains an "active and ongoing investigation".