Donald Trump assassination attempt: Security was warned about gunman minutes before shooting, witness claims

Secret Service was alerted before the attack on Trump

During his speech, the former President of the United States abruptly clutched his ear and attempted to take cover while the sound of gunfire filled the air. A person who was present at the scene has now reported seeing a young man crawling toward a building, which was a manufacturing unit about 130 yards from the rally, armed with a long rifle. This individual, who was part of a party close by, chose to approach the scene to listen to Trump’s speech when they spotted the gunman.

Also read: Who was Thomas Matthew, 20-year-old shooter accused of assassination attempt on Donald Trump?

“We noticed a guy bear crawling up the roof of the building beside us, probably 50 feet away,” the man told BBC. So we’re pointing at the guy crawling up the roof…he had a rifle; we could clearly see him with a rifle.”

Man describes what happened minutes before Trump was shot

“The police were like, ‘Huh, what?’ Like they didn’t know what was going on,” the person added, stressing that from where the officials were standing, they might not have seen the attacker. “I’m thinking, why is Trump still speaking? I’m pointing at the roof for two to three minutes, and the Secret Service is just looking at us,” he added.

Also read: Donald Trump was hit by glass fragments and not bullet, report claims; haters call shooting a hoax

The interviewer then asked if they were sure that the shots were fired from the roof. The man replied, “100%. We were telling the police, we were telling the Secret Service.” When asked what happened to the attacker, he said, “They blew his head off. Secret Service blew his head off.”

Who was Trump’s attacker?

Thomas Matthew, aged 20, has been identified as the individual who allegedly attacked Trump on Saturday, according to the NY Post. The FBI has not officially released any information about the attacker, stating that the investigation is ongoing. Authorities have also indicated that they cannot confirm whether the assault on former President Donald Trump was perpetrated by a single individual. It remains unclear whether the attacker acted alone or had accomplices.

The individual reportedly killed by the Secret Service hailed from Bethel Park, a small town approximately 40 miles south of the rally location. In response, Elon Musk, the tech mogul who endorsed Trump minutes after the attack wrote on social media, “The head of the Secret Service and the leader of this security detail should step down.”