WASHINGTON: The US Secret Service’s acting director said on Friday that local police in Pennsylvania warned that there was a man with a gun on a roof before the July 13 attempted assassination of Donald Trump, but the message did not reach its agents on time.
Local authorities and Secret Service agents were using different communications channels, which prevented the warning from getting through before a 20-year-old assailant opened fire on the Republican presidential candidate, Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe told reporters.
“In the final 30 seconds — which has been the focus of what happened before the assailant opened fire — there (were) clearly radio transmissions that may have happened on that local radio net that we did not have,” Rowe said.
Rowe said the FBI, the agency leading a criminal investigation into the shooting, is working to determine exactly what was communicated. But Rowe said investigators believe “there was somebody who did in fact radio out that they had seen the individual with a weapon.”
A local police officer confronted the shooter on the roof of the industrial building where he ultimately opened fire. But the officer, who had been hoisted up by a colleague, fell to the ground about 30 seconds before the assailant began shooting, law enforcement officials previously have said.
At the time shots rang out, the Secret Service were aware local police were dealing with an issue on the periphery of the event, but did not know about a weapon, Rowe said.
In testimony to Congress on Tuesday, Rowe had blamed the failure on local law enforcement while also saying he was “ashamed” of the security lapse that occurred on the day of the shooting. Rowe also noted that the Secret Service had not been present in a command post set up by local law enforcement in Butler, Pennsylvania for the outdoor campaign rally by the former president.
The first shooting of a US president or major party presidential candidate in more than four decades was a glaring security lapse that led last week to former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation under bipartisan congressional pressure.
Officials have said that Thomas Crooks, 20, fired the shots that wounded Trump’s right ear, killed one rally attendee and wounded two others with an AR-15-style rifle, before law enforcement snipers shot and killed him.
US Secret Service chief says local police warned of gunman at Trump shooting
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US Secret Service chief says local police warned of gunman at Trump shooting
Breton steps down as France’s EU commissioner, criticizing von der Leyen
- Breton, one of the highest-profile members of the European Commission for the past five years
- Each EU member state will have one seat at the Commission’s table
Breton, one of the highest-profile members of the European Commission for the past five years, is best known for sparring publicly with tech billionaire Elon Musk and playing a key role in shaping the 27-nation EU’s Big Tech regulation, its COVID-vaccine response and efforts to boost defense industries.
A former French minister and industrialist, Breton announced his resignation on X as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen prepares to announce this week who will be part of her new five-year team.
In his resignation letter, Breton alleged that von der Leyen “a few days ago” had asked France to withdraw his name as its pick for the Commission “for personal reasons” in return for an “allegedly more influential portfolio.”
He said France would indeed suggest another name in a rare last-minute change.
“In light of these latest developments — further testimony to questionable governance — I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College,” Breton said in the letter.
Reuters was unable to immediately verify the allegation. Von der Leyen’s office declined to make any immediate comment.
Breton, a former business executive, was the EU’s industry and internal market commissioner during her first term.
His and von der Leyen’s relationship had taken a turn for the worse over recent months. The French commissioner, a liberal, had angered von der Leyen by publicly criticizing her nomination as the European conservative EPP’s party candidate to head the Commission for a second term, EU officials have said.
Breton’s public feuds with Musk had also been met with dismay among other Commission colleagues, officials added.
Key jobs
As the EU’s second-biggest member state, France is vying for a major post in the new Commission team, which follows on European Parliament elections in June — the starting point every five years for a shake-up of key jobs in EU institutions that have a major impact on policymaking across the bloc.
Each EU member state will have one seat at the Commission’s table, although their political weight and importance varies greatly depending on the portfolio.
Having to replace Breton is likely to add to French President Emmanuel Macron’s woes at a time when he is still trying to pull together a government at home with new Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
The French presidency did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.
Italy backs EU’s Chinese tariffs, foreign minister says
- Minister Wang Wentao is visiting Europe for discussions on the European Union’s anti-subsidy case against China-made EVs as the vote on more tariffs looms
MILAN: Italy backs tariffs proposed by the European Commission on Chinese exports of electric vehicles (EVs), Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday before a meeting in Rome with China’s commerce minister.
“We support the duties that the EU Commission proposes, to protect the competitiveness of our companies,” Tajani told daily Corriere della Sera in an interview.
Minister Wang Wentao is visiting Europe for discussions on the European Union’s anti-subsidy case against China-made EVs as the vote on more tariffs looms.
He was meeting Tajani on Monday morning and will hold talks with the European Commission’s Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis on Sept. 19.
“We want to work on a trade plan based on equality, we demand equal access for our products in their markets. Our companies must compete on equal terms,” Tajani added.
Italy is aiming for a “climate of positive cooperation, and real reciprocity to avoid dumping and obstacles from Beijing, that at times are incomprehensible,” he said.
Italy initially supported tariffs in a non-binding vote of EU members in July but Industry Minister Adolfo Urso told Reuters last week that he expected a negotiated solution.
Italy remains a major carmaker, home to brands including Fiat, part of the Stellantis group. It has also been seeking to woo Chinese carmakers including Dongfeng and Chery Auto to open factories in order to raise vehicle output.
Tajani added that his position did not compromise Italy’s “good relations” with China.
At the end of July Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited China, to boost co-operation with the world’s second-largest economy and reset trade ties after leaving the Belt and Road infrastructure investment scheme.
President Sergio Mattarella is scheduled to visit China later this year, with Tajani part of the delegation, the minister said.
The European Commission is on the brink of proposing final tariffs of up to 35.3 percent on EVs built in China, on top of the EU’s standard 10 percent car import duty.
The proposed duties will be subject to a vote by the EU’s 27 members. They will be implemented by the end of October unless a qualified majority of 15 EU members representing 65 percent of the EU population vote against them.
Germany expands border controls to curb migrant arrivals
- The border controls will be in place for an initial six months and are expected to include temporary structures at land crossings and spot checks by federal police
FRANKFURT: Germany will from Monday expand border controls to the frontiers with all nine of its neighbors to stop irregular migrants in a move that has sparked protests from other EU members.
Berlin announced the sweeping measure following a string of deadly extremist attacks that have stoked public fears and boosted support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Sunday said that the step aimed to limit irregular migration and “put a stop to criminals and identify and stop Islamists at an early stage.”
The border controls will be in place for an initial six months and are expected to include temporary structures at land crossings and spot checks by federal police.
Poland and Austria have voiced concern and the European Commission has warned that members of the 27-nation bloc must only impose such steps in exceptional circumstances.
Germany lies at the heart of Europe and borders nine countries that are part of the visa-free Schengen zone, designed to allow the free movement of people and goods.
Border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland were already in place before the crackdown was announced.
These will now be expanded to Germany’s borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.
Faeser said the government hoped to minimize the impact on people living and working in border regions, promising “coordination with our neighboring countries.”
The interior ministry however noted that travelers should carry identification when crossing the border.
In recent weeks, a string of extremist attacks have shocked Germany, fueling rising public anger.
Last month, a man on a knife rampage killed three people and wounded eight more at a festival in the western city of Solingen.
The Syrian suspect, who has alleged links to the Daesh group, had been intended for deportation but managed to evade authorities.
The enforcement failure set off a bitter debate which marked the run-up to two regional polls in the formerly communist east, where the anti-immigration AfD scored unprecedented results.
With national elections looming next year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government has been under intense political pressure to toughen its stance on migrants and asylum seekers.
Scholz was in Uzbekistan on Sunday to sign a migration deal for workers to come to Germany, while simplifying deportation procedures in the opposite direction so that “those that must go back do go back,” the chancellor said.
Closer to home, the German government has presented plans to speed up deportations to European partners.
Under EU rules, asylum requests are meant to be handled by the country of arrival. The system has placed a huge strain on countries on the European periphery, where leaders have demanded more burden-sharing.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that Germany tightening its borders means that it would “essentially pass the buck to countries located on the outer borders of Europe.”
Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said his country “will not accept people who are rejected from Germany,” while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned Germany’s move as “unacceptable.”
Warsaw has also struggled with migration and accused Moscow of smuggling people from Africa and the Middle East into Europe by sending them through Belarus to the Polish border.
Berlin on Friday said that Tusk and Scholz had discussed the issue and agreed to strengthen EU external borders, “especially in view of the cynical instrumentalization of migrants by Belarus.”
Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, meanwhile, mocked the German chancellor on social media site X, writing: “Bundeskanzler Scholz, welcome to the club! #StopMigration.”
Germany took in more than a million asylum seekers in 2015-16, many of them Syrians, and has hosted over a million Ukrainians since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022.
The extra burden on municipal authorities and integration services in Germany needed to be “taken into account” when talking about new border controls, Berlin’s interior ministry said.
In the Netherlands, Prime Minister Dick Schoof on Friday unveiled the country’s strictest migration policy yet, saying it will request an opt-out from EU common policy on asylum next week.
A four-party coalition dominated by far-right firebrand Geert Wilders’s Freedom Party wants to declare an “asylum crisis” to curb the influx of migrants through a tough set of rules including border controls.
Pakistan court grants bail to 10 MPs linked to jailed ex-PM Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan granted bail Monday to 10 lawmakers from jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, an AFP journalist witnessed.
At least 30 people from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party — including the 10 MPs — were remanded in custody last Tuesday, two days after they led a major rally in the capital, Islamabad.
The anti-terrorism court granted them bail of 30,000 rupees ($100).
PTI has faced a sweeping crackdown since Khan was jailed in August last year on a series of charges he says are politically motivated and designed to keep him from power.
The 10 MPs, some detained at their offices in the National Assembly, were charged under a new protest law and the anti-terrorism act.
They were accused of violating the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, passed just days before the rally was held, in a move rights groups say was an attempt to curb freedom of expression and peaceful protest.
PTI has sparred with the military since Khan was deposed two years ago.
The confrontation came to a head after the former cricket star’s first arrest on corruption charges in May 2023.
His supporters waged days of sometimes violent protests and attacked military installations, sparking a sweeping crackdown on PTI led by the army — Pakistan’s most powerful institution.
But the clampdown failed to diminish Khan’s popularity and candidates backed by the former premier won the most seats in 2024 polls — marred by allegations of widespread rigging.
Khan rose to power in 2018 with the help of the military, analysts say, but was ousted in 2022 after reportedly falling out with the generals.
A United Nations panel of experts found this month that his detention “had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office.”
A number of convictions against him have been overturned by the courts.
Several members of the PTI’s social media and press team were rounded up last month and accused of “anti-state propaganda.”
Police operation under way after explosion in Cologne, Bild reports
BERLIN: A police operation is under way after an explosion in central Cologne, the Bild newspaper reported on Monday.
Local police posted on the social media platform X that a police operation was under way on the Hohenzollernring ring road and that residents should avoid the area.
