After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, details of the shooter have been revealed.
It all started when the former president of the United States was rushed off stage by multiple security personnel minutes into his speech after the sound of gunshots were heard throughout his rally at Bethel Park in Pennsylvania.
The 78-year-old fell to the floor and was immediately surrounded as his guards secured the area. With blood streaming down his face, he raised a defiant fist before being led away to his vehicle and rushed to a nearby medical facility to be checked over.
One shot grazed Trump’s ear, spraying blood across his face. A man sitting behind Trump was shot and died while two other people were left seriously injured.
A short period later, it was confirmed that Trump was "fine" and being checked by medical professionals while authorities launched a full-scale investigation into the attack.
His campaign later doubled down on the message, with Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung confirming to the Guardian that the former president was being assessed at a local medical facility.
"President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow," Cheung stated.
Taking to Truth Social after he had been assessed, Trump updated his followers on his condition.
"I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania," he wrote in a statement. "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 continued: "Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. 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 realized then what was happening," he added before concluding: "God bless America."
However, now, we have been able to get further details on the attacker who has now been named as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, an alleged registered Republican voter from Pennsylvania.
He was shot dead at the scene by an agent.
After he was formally identified, the FBI said that it regarded Crooks as carrying out "an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump."
"This remains an active and ongoing investigation," it said.
The FBI added that Crooks was not carrying any identification when he started shooting and had to be identified using DNA samples.
Witnesses stated that the 20-year-old was seen crawling across the roof of a shed, where he shot at the former president.
US security forces said that they had recovered an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle lying by Crook’s body and shortly after, his home, which was just roughly an hour’s drive south of Butler, was raided.
As for his motive, Kevin Rojek, an FBI Pittsburgh special agent stated that the authorities have not yet identified one.
"We don’t currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was," Rojek said.
According to a report by The Telegraph, the shooter was known to be a registered Republican, but on January 20, 2021, two weeks after pro-Trump alt-right supporters stormed the White House, Crooks gave $15 to a grassroots Democratic group.
Crooks' father spoke to CNN, explaining that he was trying to find out “what the hell” was going on but that he would be cooperating with law enforcement before speaking about his son to media outlets.
Since news of the incident, many world leaders have condemned the attack including French president Emmanuel Macaron and Trump's presidential rival, Joe Biden.
This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.