Evidence thus far points to the suspect acting alone, says the FBI, but it has yet to identify a motive.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is continuing to scour over evidence in the attack on former United States President Donald Trump, which it is now investigating as “domestic terrorism”, the agency said in a statement.
Trump, speaking at a Saturday campaign rally in Pennsylvania, was shot in the right ear by an attacker perched on a rooftop outside the venue, in the first assassination attempt on a US presidential figure in more than four decades.
Trump escaped the attack with no serious injury, showing the crowd a raised fist before being whisked away by the Secret Service. But the attacker’s bullets killed a rally attendee and injured two others in the crowd.
The FBI’s investigation so far indicates the suspect – Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20 – acted alone. But the agency continues to look into any possible co-conspirators, it said.
It has yet to identify a motive for the attacker, a registered Republican who once also made a small donation to a left-wing political group.
Former classmates of the suspect told local media he was known as a “loner” and “outcast” in high school and incessantly bullied. Others who attended the suspect’s school told ABC News he had been rejected by the high school rifle team, describing him as a “bad shot”.
Law enforcement, which recovered the AR-style rifle the attacker allegedly used at the rally on Saturday, has also found “suspicious devices” at his home and vehicle, said the FBI.
“We are working to determine the sequence of events and the shooter’s movements prior to the shooting, collecting and reviewing evidence, conducting interviews, and following up on all leads,” said the agency.
‘Extremely shocking news’
The attempt on Trump’s life, less than four months away from the US presidential election, has thrown an already fiery race into a frenzy, energising Trump’s base and fuelling accusations and conspiracies between political rivals.
“Americans are still trying to come to terms with the extremely shocking news,” said Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, DC. “Some of them have never experienced anything like this.”
“It’s clear that these types of incidents are happening with increasing frequency, and this is making Americans very nervous – the fact that the country is so divided,” she said.
The shooting has also further lionised Trump to his supporters and built hype for this week’s Republican National Convention (RNC), in which he is set to be crowned as the party’s presidential nominee.
Insisting he would not let the shooter alter his plans, Trump landed in Milwaukee on Sunday evening, a day before the event was to kick off.
He told reporters on the flight to the city he had overhauled his convention speech, which he will now use to “try to unite the country”.
“This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together,” Trump told The Washington Examiner. “The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago.”
Stephan Zunes, a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco, said the attempted assassination – and Trump’s response to it – is playing into both his “hero” and “victim narrative”.
As a “professional showman”, Trump is sure to capitalise on the moment “in whatever way he can” and “play it to the hilt”, Zunes told Al Jazeera.
The shooting is also boosting Trump’s prospects in the November election, in which he already has a strong edge in critical swing stages, according to analysts and betting markets.
“The iconic shot of Trump standing with his fist in the air, blood coming down the side of his head, and the flag draped just perfectly over him is really driving the narrative,” James Davis, a Republican strategist, told Al Jazeera.
“He’s going to be seen sympathetically after this from the national narrative,” he said.