Trump survives assassination attempt after major security lapses

Gunman shot dead after attack that killed rally attendee; US political divide set to deepen

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BUTLER, Pennsylvania Donald Trump survived a weekend assassination attempt days before he is due to accept the formal Republican presidential nomination, in an attack that will further inflame the US political divide and has raised questions about the security lapses.

Trump, 78, had just begun a campaign speech in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 when shots rang out, hitting the former president's right ear and streaking his face with blood.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" he mouthed to supporters, pumping his fist, as Secret Service agents rushed him away. His campaign said he was doing well and appeared to have suffered no major injury besides a wound on his upper right ear.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation 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 US$15 (S$20) donation to a Democratic political action committee at the age of 17.

Law enforcement officials told reporters they had not yet identified a motive for the attack.

The shooting occurred less than four months before the Nov 5 election, when Trump faces a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden. Most opinion polls show the two locked in a close contest.

The suspect was shot dead by Secret Service agents, the agency said, after he opened fire from the roof of a building about 140m from the stage where Trump was speaking.

An AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle was recovered near his body. The firearm was legally purchased by the suspect's father, ABC and The Wall Street Journal reported. Bomb-making materials were found in the suspect's car, the Associated Press reported.