Connect with us

Foreign

Trump shot in ear in rally assassination attempt

Published

on

ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad

Former US President Donald Trump was rushed off stage after gunshots erupted at a rally in Pennsylvania in an apparent assassination attempt.

Footage showed him grimace and raise a hand to his right ear, before ducking as sharp cracks – a series of shots – broke out.

He was quickly swarmed by US Secret Service agents and dragged off stage to a waiting vehicle. He raised a fist as he was bundled into the car.

In a post to his Truth Social network, Trump said a bullet pierced the “upper part” of his right ear. Earlier, his spokesperson said he was “fine” and receiving treatment at a local medical centre.

Advertisement

“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Trump wrote. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”

Blood was clearly visible on Trump’s ear and face as protection officers rushed him away.

The suspect was shot dead at the scene by US Secret Service officers, the agency’s spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said. He added that one bystander was killed in the shooting and two others were critically injured.

Republican Congressman Ronnie Jackson told the BBC that his nephew was injured in the shooting. He sustained a minor wound to his neck and was treated at the scene, Mr Jackson said in a statement.

Advertisement

Law enforcement sources told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that the male attacker had been armed with a rifle and had fired from an elevated structure a few hundred metres away outside the venue. They added that the attack was being treated as an assassination attempt.

Mr Guglielmi said Trump was safe and that measures for his protection had been implemented. He added that an active investigation – which is being led by the FBI – was under way.

The Republican candidate for president had just started addressing his supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania – a crucial swing state in November’s election – when the shots started.

Multiple bangs rang out as Trump spoke about his successor, President Joe Biden, and his administration.

Advertisement

Several supporters holding placards and standing behind Trump ducked as the shots were heard.

Bystanders who spoke to the BBC suggested the gunshots may have come from a one-storey building to the right of the stage where Trump was speaking.

One witness – Greg – told the BBC that he had spotted a suspicious-looking person “bear crawling” on the roof of the building about five minutes after Trump took to the stage. He said he pointed the person out to police.

“He had a rifle, we could clearly see him with a rifle,” he said. “We’re pointing at him, the police are down there running around on the ground – we’re like ‘hey man there’s a guy on the roof with a rifle’ and the police did not know what was going on.”

Advertisement

Tim – who was also at the rally – told the BBC that he had heard a “barrage” of shots.

“There was a spray which we initially thought was a fire hose, and then the speaker on the right-hand side started coming down,” he said.

“Something must have hit the hydraulic lines [which caused it to fall]. We saw President Trump go to the ground and everyone started dropping to the ground because it was chaos.”

Warren and Debbie were at the venue and told the BBC they heard at least four gunshots.

Advertisement

They said they both got on the ground as Secret Service agents came through the crowd, shouting for the attendees to get down. People remained calm, they said.

“We couldn’t believe it was happening,” Warren said.

Debbie said a little girl beside them was crying that she didn’t want to die and saying “how is this happening to us?”

“That broke my heart,” Debbie said.

Advertisement

Witness says he saw gunman on roof

Speaking from his home state of Delaware, President Biden deplored the attack, calling it “sick”.

“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence,” he said. “Everybody must condemn it.”

The White House later said President Biden had spoken with Trump before returning to Washington DC.

Advertisement

Trump remains locked in a tight contest with President Biden – the presumptive Democratic nominee – in a re-match of the 2020 election.

Politicians of both parties joined Mr Biden in condemning the apparent attack.

Former President Barack Obama said there “is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy” and that he was “relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt”.

Trump’s former vice-president Mike Pence said he and his wife were praying for his former ally, adding that he urged “every American to join us”.

Advertisement

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement: “My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump. I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response. America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable.”

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer led international condemnation of the shooting, saying he was “appalled by the shocking scenes at President Trump’s rally”.

“Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack,” he said in a statement.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called on people to oppose violence that “challenges democracy”.

Advertisement

And Canadian leader Justin Trudeau said he was “sickened by the shooting at former President Trump”.

Trump was set to accept his party’s nomination for president at the convention in Milwaukee on Monday. Some had speculated that he had been set to reveal his running mate at the Butler rally.

Some Republicans were quick to blame President Biden over the shooting, accusing him of stoking fears about Trump’s potential return to office.

Senator JD Vance, who is thought to be on the shortlist to become Trump’s vice-presidential candidate, said the rhetoric from the Biden campaign had led directly to this incident.

Advertisement

Mike Collins – a Republican congressman – accused the president of “inciting an assassination”.

Meanwhile James Comer, the chair of the powerful House oversight committee, said he would summon the director of the Secret Service before his panel.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Warning: Undefined variable $user_ID in /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/themes/zox-news/comments.php on line 49

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Foreign

Trump Signs Executive Order Renaming Lake Ontario To ‘Lake America’

Published

on

By

ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for official US federal use, in the latest escalation of his dispute with Canada.

Trump signed the order on Thursday at the White House, saying the change was effective immediately. The order directs the US Department of the Interior to update federal geographic records and naming systems.

Trump justified the move by accusing Canada of treating the United States unfairly in trade and defence. He said Canada had been “ripping us off” in trade and criticised Ottawa over its relationship with Washington.

However, the order does not require Canada or international organisations to adopt the new name. Lake Ontario is shared by the US state of New York and Canada’s province of Ontario, with more than half of its surface area lying in Canadian territory.

Advertisement

Ontario Premier Doug Ford dismissed the move, saying the lake would continue to be known as Lake Ontario by Canadians and much of the rest of the world.

The renaming comes amid a rapidly worsening US-Canada trade dispute. Washington recently imposed 50 per cent tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, while Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs of its own on hundreds of US products.

The latest move echoes Trump’s decision in January 2025 to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” for US federal purposes.

Trump also suggested that further geographic name changes could be considered, joking that after a gulf and a lake, the United States might eventually rename the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean.

Advertisement

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government had not immediately issued a formal response to the latest order.

The controversy has added another symbolic dimension to already strained relations between the two neighbouring countries, as both sides continue to impose tariffs and seek to protect their economies.

Continue Reading

Foreign

US Secret Service Reacts To Iran’s Alleged Threat To Trump’s Son Life

Published

on

By

ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad

The United States Secret Service has confirmed that it is aware of a video broadcast by Iranian state media that appears to threaten the life of Barron Trump, the youngest son of US President Donald Trump.

The nearly three-minute video, aired by the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), opens with an English-language graphic asking: “Where to kill Barron Trump?!” It then displays stylised graphics identifying places where Barron is publicly known to spend time, including Trump Tower in New York.

The video ends with a narrator referring to people being “eagerly waiting to receive our $10 million reward.”

Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring confirmed that the agency was investigating the video as a potential threat against one of its protectees.

Advertisement

“The US Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees,” Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring told CNN in a statement. “Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence.”

The apparent targeting of Barron marks a new development in a broader pattern of threats directed at Trump and members of his family by hard-line Iranian media.

Iranian media outlets have previously published material threatening President Trump and his family, while first lady Melania Trump has also been the subject of threats. However, the video appears to be the first public instance in which Barron has been specifically singled out.

A federal law enforcement source told CNN that the video forms part of a wider campaign of material from Iran targeting Trump and his family. According to the source, some of the videos have included details about movements and suggestions for killing members of the president’s family.

Advertisement

The security response to such threats involves continuously changing and adjusting protective arrangements, based on information gathered by the Secret Service, other US agencies, police authorities and foreign governments.

IRIB, which broadcast the video, is regarded as aligned with hard-liners within Iran’s regime, while its head is directly appointed by Iran’s supreme leader.

Trump has previously spoken publicly about threats against his life from Iran.

“I’m on whatever list… so far, I guess I’ve been a bit lucky, but maybe that doesn’t last very long. These are evil, sick people.”

Advertisement

He made the comments in July at the NATO summit in Turkey, before secretly leaving the country aboard an alternate military aircraft.

The departure was part of an elaborate security operation reportedly triggered by an Iranian threat. Trump boarded the aircraft while concealed inside a catering truck after officials determined that travelling on either version of Air Force One could expose him to an unacceptable level of danger.

A person familiar with the matter told CNN that the threat involved a shoulder-fired missile and was considered specific enough for officials to fear that Trump’s life would be at enormous risk if he travelled on either version of Air Force One.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Foreign

18 Killed In UK E-bike, E-scooter Battery Fires

Published

on

By

ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad

At least 18 people have died and nearly 700 have been injured in fires involving e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries across the United Kingdom, according to new data obtained by BBC Verify.

More than 2,000 fires linked to the vehicles or their batteries were recorded by fire and rescue services between 2019 and 2025. The number of incidents increased every year, with almost half occurring in homes or garages.

Battery-related fires rose sharply from 32 incidents in 2019 to 605 in 2025.

The London Fire Brigade said it was increasingly concerned about the fire risks posed by some e-bikes and e-scooters, particularly those that have been modified or bought second-hand.

Advertisement

Assistant Commissioner Pam Oparaocha said many of the fires attended by the brigade involved second-hand vehicles or bikes modified with parts bought online. She urged consumers to be careful about where they purchase e-bikes and e-scooters.

Experts say lithium-ion batteries, which power most of the vehicles, can store large amounts of energy in a small space. However, faulty, damaged or overcharged batteries can release that energy rapidly, producing flames and burning projectiles.

Dr Simon Jones of the University of Warwick said such fires could spread through a room within seconds, potentially blocking escape routes. He also warned that burning batteries can release toxic fumes that pose a serious health risk.

The danger was highlighted by the experience of 24-year-old Jahmell Campbell, whose e-scooter caught fire at his grandmother’s home in London.

Advertisement

Campbell said the vehicle suddenly burst into flames near the front door, leaving the family unable to escape normally. He jumped from a window, while his father helped his grandmother escape through the same route.

His grandmother suffered minor injuries, while the flat, where she had lived for more than 20 years, was destroyed.

Several deaths have also been linked to fires involving e-bike batteries.

Eight-year-old Luke Albiston-O’Donnell from Birkenhead died in 2024 after inhaling toxic fumes from a house fire caused by an e-bike battery that was charging.

Advertisement

In another case, 28-year-old Mohsin Janjua from Bradford died in 2023 after a fire involving an e-bike conversion kit purchased online from China. Investigators concluded that a catastrophic battery failure was more likely than not to have caused the fire.

Coroners have issued at least five reports since 2023 warning about the dangers of lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and e-scooters and calling for improvements to public safety.

The Bicycle Association said the growing availability of cheap and unsafe products online was undermining efforts by legitimate retailers to provide safe e-bikes.

Steve Garidis of the association said illegal and unsafe products sold through online marketplaces could put unsuspecting consumers at risk.

Advertisement

The UK government has warned that batteries can become a serious fire hazard if they fail to meet safety standards, are damaged, modified or used with incompatible chargers.

Its “Buy Safe, Be Safe” campaign advises consumers to check for recognised UKCE or CE safety markings when purchasing e-bikes and e-scooters.

The government also said it was strengthening the responsibilities of online marketplaces and working with local authorities to identify and remove unsafe products from sale.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Naija Blitz News