The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified the gunman who allegedly shot Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a Saturday rally as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
The 20-year-old was from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, according to the FBI statement released early on Sunday.
He was shot dead by Secret Service snipers at the scene.
The FBI earlier said it had tentatively identified Mr Crooks as the gunman and was conducting a DNA test. Law enforcement officials said on Saturday that Mr Crooks carried no identification to the site of the shooting and had to be identified using other methods.
The Federal Aviation Administration said on Sunday that it closed the airspace over Bethel Park for “special security reasons”.
Details about Mr Crooks and his possible motivations are still sparse.
Mr Crooks was a registered Republican, according to state party records cited by US media. However, when Mr Crooks was 17 he made a $15 donation to ActBlue, a political action committee that raises money for left-leaning and Democratic politicians, according to a 2021 Federal Election Commission filing cited by Reuters.
The donation was earmarked for the Progressive Turnout Project, a national group that rallies Democrats to vote. The groups did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Mr Crooks graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He received a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative, according to the newspaper.
His father, Matthew Crooks, 53, told CNN that he was trying to figure out what happened and would wait until he spoke to law enforcement before speaking about his son.
Video footage shared on social media showed the gunman on top of the roof of a nearby building before shots rang out.
A witness said he alerted police after noticing the gunman several minutes before shots were fired.
“We noticed a guy crawling … bear crawling up the roof of the building beside us,” he told the BBC.
“You could clearly see him with a rifle.”
He said they alerted police, who “didn't know what was going on”.
“I'm thinking to myself – why is Trump still speaking? Why have they not pulled him off the stage?”
Security officials said the gunman was outside the secured perimeter, around 100 yards from the stage where former US president Trump was speaking.
He wore a T-shirt promoting a YouTube channel devoted to firearms, according to US media reports, which named the channel as Demolition Ranch.
The channel’s founder posted a photo of the gunman on Instagram after he shot dead following the attack, captioned “What the hell”.
A man who was shot dead at the event has also been identified but is yet to be named by police.
A doctor who attended the rally said he tended to the man, who was shot in the head.
“I thought it was firecrackers at first,” he told CBS News.
“The guy had spun around and was jammed between the benches. He had a head wound here, there was lots of blood. There was brain matter.”
Two others, both men, were injured.
A bullet pierced Trump's right ear, the former president said on social media before being taken to hospital.
He has since been discharged.
The assassination attempt has been condemned by US President Joe Biden and world leaders including UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The Secretary-General unequivocally condemns this act of political violence. He sends his best wishes to President Trump for a speedy recovery,” Guterres spokesman Stephan Dujarric said.
– Reuters contributed to this report
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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
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Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Monday's results
- UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
- Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
- Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
I Care A Lot
Directed by: J Blakeson
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage
3/5 stars
