FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Young Thomas Matthew Crooks went to the place where the election rally of former President Donald Trump would be held, with a large backpack and a device to measure the distance from the roof behind the stage where the former president would speak in an hour.
His behavior was so strange, so different from that of the other participants in the rally, that law enforcement noticed him, radioed their concerns and photographed him. But then he disappeared.
His photo was shared with police officers stationed outside the security perimeter that Saturday afternoon. But he did not appear again until witnesses saw him climbing the side of a building 135 meters from the stage where Mr Trump was to speak.
There he opened fire, six minutes after Mr. Trump began speaking, in an attempt to kill the Republican presidential nominee. The attacker killed one participant in the rally and seriously injured two others. Mr. Trump suffered a minor ear injury and appeared just days later at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee with a bandage over the damaged ear.
Now many questions have started to be asked regarding the incident. Multiple investigations have been launched, both into the crime itself and into how law enforcement allowed it. It's becoming increasingly clear that this was a failure involving multiple mistakes between at least nine local and federal law enforcement divisions that were supposed to be working together. Law enforcement has also warned of the potential for similar attacks and more violence.
That analysis is based on interviews with eight law enforcement officials and four people familiar with a law enforcement report to senators Wednesday about the Pennsylvania incident, some of whom spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Multiple agencies work together to secure events like the Pennsylvania rally
The Secret Service always cooperates with local law enforcement when a president, political candidate or other high-level official visits a city, and Saturday's rally was no different. An advance team goes early to inspect the rally site and identify potential areas of concern. They order the movement of vehicles, the installation of barriers and the blocking of roads.
In some larger cities, one or two local agencies may work alongside federal teams. In many rural areas, one local agency may not have sufficient personnel for such a task, so these operations often involve multiple law enforcement agencies. On Saturday, members of the force from at least six different agencies were present, including two police stations, state police and multiple teams within the Secret Service, as well as members of search and rescue and emergency teams. Within these agencies there are individual divisions that have different responsibilities.
In theory, it's better when there's more staff. But this can often create communication problems and it is unclear how the information about 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was passed on. For example, it is not clear how widely his photo was shared or whether everyone was equally aware of the potential threat.
All the extra officers can cause a drain on resources, leaving agencies in dire straits. The Secret Service at all times protects the president, presidential candidates and others, and manages security operations at important events in the country. The local police have the same problem, telling the Secret Service they don't have enough people to station officers outside the building all day.
The Secret Service checks the area inside the perimeter as people pass through metal detectors. Local law enforcement is responsible for security outside the perimeter.
Reports of a man on the roof
The gunman, later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, disappeared through the crowd of Mr. Trump's red, white and blue-clad supporters. The flow of supporters entering through the metal detectors was slowing. Mr. Trump was getting ready to address his supporters.
The roof from which Thomas Matthew Crooks shot is a complex of buildings owned by AGR International Inc., a supplier of automation equipment for the glass and plastic packaging industry. The building was closed during the day, allowing only the presence of law enforcement.
Thomas Matthew Crooks was seen again when members of a local SWAT team stationed inside the building complex spotted him walking around and looking at the roof. One of the officers photographed him and radioed the others that he was observing a suspicious person who was measuring the distance between objects with a small device, similar to binoculars, but used by hunters to measure the distance to a target .
Jo shumë kohë më vonë, dëshmitarët raportuan se e panë atë duke u ngjitur në një ndërtesë më afër skenës. Më pas ai pozicionoi pushkën e tij gjysmëautomatike AR-15 dhe u shtri mbi çati. Ai kishte një pajisje në xhep për të aktivizuar mjetet shpërthyese që ishin fshehur në makinën e tij të parkuar aty pranë.
Një oficer lokal u ngjit në çati për të hetuar. Personi i armatosur drejtoi armën drejt tij. Oficeri nuk arriti të bënte asgjë, nuk qëlloi me asnjë të shtënë. Por Thomas Matthew Crooks pastaj qëlloi në drejtim të turmës dhe ish-presidentit Trump, duke shkaktuar panik, ndërsa agjentët e Shërbimit Sekret u hodhën në mbrojtje të zotit Trump, duke e tërhequr atë nga skena. Dy ekipe kundërsnajperësh ishin vendosur në ndërtesat pas skenës ku foli zoti Trump dhe një ekip tjetër në një distancë më të largët nga çatia, ku ndodhej Thomas Matthew Crooks, qëlluan një herë, duke e vrarë atë.
Në një raport për Kongresin të mërkurën, zyrtarët e FBI-së dhe ata të Shërbimit Sekret ofruan një pasqyrë më të qartë të asaj që kishte ndodhur. Ata thanë se Thomas Matthew Crooks u identifikua si një kërcënim i mundshëm një orë përpara se të fillonin të shtënat. Forcat e rendit e panë atë me sensorin e matjes së distancës afërsisht 40 minuta para se të fillonin të shtënat dhe më pas e panë atë përsëri duke shikuar nga distanca, rreth 20 minuta para incidentit.
“Ne po flasim për një dështim”, tha Sekretari i Sigurisë Kombëtare Alejandro Mayorkas për kanalin CNN. "Ne do të analizojmë incidentin përmes një ekipit ekspertësh të pavarur për të kuptuar se si ndodhi, pse ndodhi dhe do të bëjmë rekomandime për t'u siguruar që një gjë e tillë të mos përsëritet."
Republikanët e Komisionit të Mbikëqyrjes së Agjencive qeveritare në Dhomën e Përfaqësuesve kanë urdhëruar drejtoren e Shërbimit Sekret Kim Cheatle të paraqitet për dëshmi. Kryetari i Dhomës së Përfaqësuesve, Mike Johnson tha se do të krijojë një grup pune për të hetuar këtë çështje dhe disa republikanë i kanë bërë thirrje zonjës Cheatle të japë dorëheqjen.
Vetë zonja Cheatle ka thënë në një intervistë me kanalin ABC News se dështimet që çuan në sulmin me armë janë "të papranueshme dhe diçka që nuk duhet të ndodhë më."
Masat e sigurisë për zotin Trump, presidentin Joe Biden dhe kandidatin e pavarur presidencial Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tashmë janë shtuar.
Presidenti Biden ka urdhëruar një rishikim të pavarur të incidentit. Inspektori i Përgjithshëm i Departamentit të Sigurisë Kombëtare hapi gjithashtu një hetim mbi dështimet e Shërbimit Sekret në incidentin me armë.
Por kjo është një detyrë e madhe. Atë ditë kishte agjentë specialë, ekipe mbrojtëse presidenciale dhe kundërsnajper. Kishte gjithashtu afërsisht 50 zjarrfikës dhe personel emergjencash, dhjetëra oficerë nga policia e qytetit Batlër, policë nga qarku Beaver dhe Butler dhe policë të shtetit të Pensilvanisë.
It will take weeks, possibly months, to interview all the officers involved and determine exactly how Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to carry out the most serious attempt to kill a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. .
The attacker was prepared for slaughter. Investigators discovered he had multiple magazines of bullets. He had bought 50 more cartridges on the day of the incident. The rifle was legally purchased by his father years ago.
Investigators found a bulletproof vest in his car and another explosive device at his home, where he had received several packages in recent months, including some containing potentially dangerous materials. The FBI has unlocked suspect Crooks' cellphone, searched his computer, home and car, and has interviewed more than 100 people so far.
But most of his communication was done in coded messages. Investigators are analyzing more than 14,000 images on his cell phone and have learned that Thomas Matthew Crooks had been doing Internet searches to study the trajectory of the bullets. But the investigation has not yet managed to reveal the motive for the attack./ VOA
Lini një Përgjigje