Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Donald Trump survives assassination attempt

Trump, wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cap, had just started speaking at his final rally before the Republican National Convention when the shots were fired.

Donald Trump survives assassination attempt

Donald Trump was struck in the ear during an assassination attempt by a gunman at a campaign rally on Saturday, causing chaos and shock just before the US presidential election.

The 78-year-old former president was hurried off stage with blood on his face after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooter and a bystander were killed, and two spectators were critically injured.


The Republican candidate raised his fist to the crowd as he was escorted to safety. He later stated, "I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear."

US president Joe Biden, who is set to face Trump in the upcoming election, condemned the incident as "sick" and stated, "there is no place in America for this kind of violence." Biden later spoke to Trump, according to the White House.

The FBI identified the gunman, who was shot dead, as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. His motive is still unknown.

The US Secret Service reported that the shooter "fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside the rally" before being "neutralised" by agents.

Images showed the assailant's body on the roof of a low building where he had fired, causing panic among Trump supporters.

The FBI confirmed the shooting is being treated as "an assassination attempt against our former president, Donald Trump." The shooter is believed to have acted alone, but law enforcement officials have not released further details.

Witnesses reported seeing the gunman before the shooting and alerted authorities. Butler police responded to several reports of suspicious activity but provided no additional information.

Trump, wearing a red "Make America Great Again" cap, had just started speaking at his final rally before the Republican National Convention when the shots were fired. He grimaced and clutched his ear, with blood visible on his ear and cheek, then ducked as Secret Service agents surrounded him and escorted him off the stage to a vehicle.

"It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country," Trump said on his Truth Social network hours later. "I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realised then what was happening."

Video footage posted by his deputy communications director showed Trump walking unaided from his plane, though his wounded ear was not facing the camera. The New York Times reported that he was staying the night in New Jersey.

Police confirmed that a male spectator was killed and two were critically injured in the shooting.

The incident caused shock waves globally, with leaders from Britain, Israel, Japan, and other countries expressing outrage. Biden cut short a trip to his Delaware beach house to return to Washington for an updated briefing from security officials.

The attack has heightened political tensions, with some Republicans blaming Biden, and right-wing conspiracy theories spreading on social media. Possible Trump vice presidential pick JD Vance said Biden's "rhetoric" had "led directly" to the Trump attack.

Trump's campaign confirmed he would still attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee after a precautionary hospital checkup.

The convention will now focus on the shooting at the rally, which caused panic and screams among the crowd.

"Let me get my shoes," Trump was heard saying on the microphone as security agents helped him to his feet. He turned to the crowd, repeatedly raised his fist, and mouthed words that were not immediately clear, creating an iconic image. Agents then bundled him into an SUV.

"We saw a lot of people go down, looking confused. I heard the shots," said John Yeykal from Franklin, Pennsylvania, attending his first Trump rally.

US political figures, including former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, condemned the attack and stated there is no place for violence in politics. Billionaire Elon Musk quickly endorsed Trump following the incident.

The United States has a history of political violence. President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, his brother Bobby Kennedy was shot dead in 1968, and president Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt in 1981.

(With inputs from AFP)

More For You

Modi set for UK visit to sign free trade agreement

FILE PHOTO: Keir Starmer (L) with Narendra Modi. (Photo: Getty Images)

Modi set for UK visit to sign free trade agreement

INDIA's prime minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to the UK by the end of this month for a visit that could see both sides formally sign the landmark India-UK free trade agreement and explore ways to expand bilateral ties in the defence and security sphere, diplomatic sources said.

Both sides are in the process of finalising the dates for Modi's visit to the country by the end of July or the first part of August, they said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rishi Sunak returns to Goldman Sachs, will donate salary to charity

Rishi Sunak. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak returns to Goldman Sachs, will donate salary to charity

FORMER prime minister Rishi Sunak has returned to the banking world as senior adviser at Goldman Sachs group, with plans to donate his salary to the education charity he recently established with his wife Akshata Murty.

The US-headquartered multinational investment bank, where Sunak worked before entering politics, made the announcement on Tuesday (8) after the requisite 12-month period elapsed since the British Indian leader's ministerial term concluded following defeat in the general election on July 4 last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London.

Getty Images

Post Office scandal linked to 13 suicides, says inquiry

Highlights:

 
     
  • Public inquiry finds up to 13 suicides linked to wrongful Post Office prosecutions.
  •  
  • Horizon IT system faults led to false accusations, financial ruin, and imprisonment.
  •  
  • Sir Wyn Williams says Post Office maintained a “fiction” of accurate data despite known faults.

A PUBLIC inquiry has found that up to 13 people may have taken their own lives after being wrongly accused of financial misconduct by the Post Office, in what is now described as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK ramps up drought response following driest spring

The EA has begun conducting more compliance checks on high-usage industries

Getty Images

UK ramps up drought response following driest spring since 1893

Key points

  • Spring 2025 was England’s driest and warmest in over 130 years
  • Reservoirs across England only 77% full, compared to 93% average
  • Environment Agency increases monitoring and drought planning
  • North-west England officially declared in drought

Water conservation measures stepped up ahead of summer

The UK government has increased efforts to manage water resources after confirming that England experienced its driest and warmest spring since 1893. The Environment Agency (EA) reported that reservoirs were on average only 77% full, significantly lower than the usual 93% for this time of year.

The announcement came after a National Drought Group meeting on Thursday, which reviewed the impact of continued dry weather on crops, canal navigation, and river flows. Poor grass growth and dry soil conditions were noted as threats to food production and livestock feed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Norman Tebbit

Following Thatcher’s third general election victory in 1987, Tebbit stepped back from frontline politics to care for his wife. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Former minister, Thatcher ally Norman Tebbit dies at 94

Norman Tebbit, a close ally of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and a former Conservative Party cabinet minister, has died at the age of 94. His son William confirmed the news on Tuesday.

"At 11:15 pm on 7th July, 2025, Lord Tebbit died peacefully at home aged 94," William Tebbit said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less