USA Trump shooter identified as suspect an hour before the crime

New findings from the investigation into the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump are increasing the pressure on the security forces.

An hour before the gunman fired at Trump, local security personnel classified the perpetrator in the crowd as suspicious - a "young man who was behaving strangely", as the New York Times reported. The Secret Service, which protects the ex-president, had also been informed. But then the suspect's trail was lost.

At least two security guards were called in to help with the search. Around 20 minutes before the shots were fired, a sniper spotted the assassin on a roof, it was reported.

Why the rally continued and Trump took to the stage is one of many unanswered questions for the Secret Service, wrote the New York Times. The newspaper reported, citing members of Congress who had previously been briefed by law enforcement officials on the status of the investigation.

The suspect was carrying a backpack and a device for measuring distances, wrote John Barrasso, Senator from the state of Wyoming, on X.

The assassin was killed 26 seconds after his first shot, wrote ABC News. In the run-up to the crime, he had searched his cell phone for the date of Trump's appearance and for photos of Trump and US President Joe Biden, among other things. The shooter had visited the venue at least once in advance, wrote CBS News.

According to US media, it is also unclear how the building from which the perpetrator fired was secured. Two days before the event, local security forces informed the Secret Service that they were unable to secure the building due to a lack of personnel, as CBS News further reported.

Trump (78) was shot and wounded in the ear at a campaign event in the state of Pennsylvania on Saturday. The Federal Bureau of Investigation later identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania.