World leaders, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have condemned the assassination attempt on former US President, Donald Trump.

Trump, the Republican candidate for the November election, was pulled off stage following  gunshots  fired at a campaign rally  Saturday in Pennsylvania, in a shocking incident that will fuel anxiety in the run-up to the 2024 election.

Trump had escaped by the whiskers, saying, “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation disclosed that 20-year-old Thomas Crooks had fired multiple gunshots, killing one while two others sustained injuries.

…Tinubu reacts

Reacting to the incident in a statement Sunday, President Tinubu said: “The attack on former President Donald Trump is distasteful and goes beyond the pale of democratic norms. Violence has no place in democracy.

“I extend my sympathies to the former President and wish him relief. I also condole with the family of the deceased and those wounded and wish them a quick recovery.”

Tinubu said Nigeria stands in solidarity with the United States of America at this time.

…Biden, Macron, others condemn assassination attempt

In a similar reaction, US President Joe Biden – Trump’s political opponent – called the attack ‘sick’, saying “there’s no place for this kind of violence in America”.

“It is a tragedy for our democracies,” French President Emmanuel Macron said, adding “France shares the shock and indignation of the American people.”

He also wished the former president a “speedy recovery”, a sentiment shared by a number of leaders, including those from Spain, Ireland, Italy, Australia, Turkey, Honduras and Israel.

Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, said his thoughts were with Trump and all those at the event, adding: “Political violence is never acceptable.”

The UK’s newly elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer sent the former president his best wishes and said his thoughts were with all the victims of the attack.

Similarly, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his thoughts were with all those affected, and called the attack “despicable.”

“Such acts of violence threaten democracy,” he added.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated the condemnation expressed by her various counterparts, adding: “Peace and democracy must always be the option.”

In a social media post, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote: “My thoughts and prayers are with President @realDonaldTrump in these dark hours.”

The right-wing premier has recently been on a whirlwind two-week tour that concluded with a visit to Trump, whom he strongly backs to win again in November.

…Across Asian continent too

Nations across the Asian continent also sent messages, including Japan, the Philippines, Pakistan and Taiwan.

Indian Prime Minister Nahendra Modi said he was “deeply concerned” by the attack on his friend and condemned it.

Meanwhile, China’s President Xi Jinping “expressed his condolences” in a statement from an official spokesperson, which added China was “concerned” about the shooting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said: “Russia always denounces and categorically denounces any displays of force in a political battle.

“We express condolences to the family of the deceased and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”

Peskov added that the US had a repeated history of similar violence during “political battles”.

To date, the US has lost four presidents to assassinations, while others have been targets of attempted attacks.

Trump is due to receive his party’s formal nomination at the Republican National Convention, which kicks off in Milwaukee on Monday.

Authorities identified a rally attendee who was shot and killed as Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, Pennsylvania, who Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told reporters Sunday, was hit by the bullet while protecting his family.

The governor said Corey’s wife confirmed that to him, adding that the former firefighter died a hero.

“Corey was an avid supporter of the former president, and was so excited to be there last night with him in the community,” Shapiro said, adding, “Political disagreements can never, ever be addressed through violence.”

The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect in what it called an attempted assassination. He was a registered Republican, according to state voter records and had made a $15 donation to a Democratic political action committee at the age of 17.

The governor, who addressed the media shortly after his meeting with the FBI and other security agencies, also confirmed two Pennsylvanians were critically wounded.

Trump survived an assassination attempt at his rally in Pennsylvania after a gunman, now identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, by authorities, aimed at him from a rooftop position in a nearby office.

Two videos posted on social media and verified by The New York Times showed the suspected shooter lying motionless on the roof of a small building roughly 400 feet north of the stage where Trump was speaking.

The former president was showing supporters a chart of numbers about border crossings minutes into his speech which started around 6pm (New York Time) when shots rang out in two bursts. 

A spokesman for the Secret Service said that the suspected shooter fired “multiple shots toward the stage” and was on “an elevated position” outside the rally venue. 

Investigators have so far confirmed that the suspect used a high caliber semiautomatic weapon (AR-15) used to target Trump, which they said had been recovered.

Crooks, whose father was being questioned by security forces, allegedly had bomb making materials in his car and at their Bathel Park home which were recovered during a search.

Billed as “America’s rifle” by the National Rifle Association, the  AR-15 is one of the most ubiquitous weapons in the United States.

The rifle can be built to fire heavier and lighter rounds, such as .22-caliber and .308-caliber, but most commonly fires a 5.56-millimeter round, and has an effective range of between 500 and 800 yards.

The Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies were yet to publicly confirm that Trump was shot in the ear though they confirmed shots were fired.

The suspect was alleged to be a registered Republican voter, raising further questions as to his motive.

However, the Secret Service has come under scrutiny following the incident as Americans continue to wonder how that incident occurred despite the high presence of security days before the event.

This is because people who attend Trump’s campaign rallies are subject to security screenings, and their belongings are typically searched for weapons.

Moreover, the federal and state police departments as well as the secret service are expected to have screened the surroundings and secured same several days before the event to prevent any eventuality.

He announced that the state symbol would fly at half mast to honour Corey, just as he prayed for the quick recovery of the other injured persons.

Law enforcement officials told reporters they had not yet identified a motive for the attack. Both Republicans and Democrats will be looking for evidence of Crooks’ political affiliation as they seek to cast the rival party as representing extremism.

The shooting occurred less than four months before the November 5  election, when Trump faces an election rematch with Democratic President Biden.

Most opinion polls including those by Reuters/Ipsos show the two locked in a close contest.

Secret Service agents fatally shot the suspect, the agency said, after he opened fire from the roof of a building about 150 yards (140 m) from the stage where Trump was speaking.

An AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle used in the shooting was recovered near his body, according to sources.

The firearm was legally purchased by the suspect’s father, ABC and the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. Bomb-making materials were found in the suspect’s car, the Associated Press reported, citing sources.

Two other rally attendees were critically wounded, the Secret Service said.

“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win,” Trump said on his Truth Social service on Sunday.

The Secret Service in a statement denied accusations by some Trump supporters that it had rejected campaign requests for additional security.

Neighbors stunned

Residents of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, where the alleged shooter lived, expressed shock at the news on Sunday.

]”It’s a little crazy to think that somebody that did an assassination attempt is that close, but it just kind of shows the political dynamic that we’re in right now with the craziness on each side,” said Wes Morgan, 42, who added that he rides bikes with his children on the street where the alleged shooter lived. “Bethel Park is a pretty blue-collar type of area. And to think that somebody was that close is a little insane.”

…Datelines on political-related violence

While mass shootings at schools, nightclubs and other public places are a regular feature of American life, the attack was the first shooting of a U.S. president or major party candidate since the 1981 attempted assassination of Republican  President Ronald Reagan.

In 2011, Democratic then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was seriously wounded in an attack on a gathering of constituents in Arizona. Republican U.S. Representative Steve Scalise was also badly wounded in a politically motivated 2017 attack on a group of Republican representatives practicing for a charity baseball game.

Giffords later founded a leading gun control organisation, Scalise has remained a stalwart defender of gun rights.

Americans fear rising political violence, recent Reuters/Ipsos polling shows, with two out of three respondents to a May survey saying they worried violence could follow the election.

Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn his election defeat, fueled by his false claims that his loss was the result of widespread fraud. About 140 police officers were injured in the violence, four riot participants died that day, one police officer who responded died the following day and four responding officers later died by suicide.