Donald Trump's assassination attempt: What now with a dead gunman?

This morning the world was suspended in mid-air with the news of Donald Trump's assassination attempt. At first, I thought the man was dead. Clearly, he wasn't, even if the bullet almost got him in the head. US President Joe Biden was quick to thank the Secret Service agents who were fast enough to crowd on Trump after gunshots were heard although criticisms are now targeting the Secret Service for failing to ensure breach-free security measures. 

I was busy writing my pitch for The Dial when news notifications of the assassination attempt came. If my article pitch won't get through with The Dial, I have the assassination attempt news to blame. On a serious note, it is shocking that a powerful nation such as the United States would have something as horrific as this when it has all the resources and tools in the world to detect and prevent this kind of incident. 

Similar Assassination Attempts

On other sides of the world, an assassination attempt also came last January when a 67-year old man attacked the Korean Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung with a knife and left him with an injured neck. The man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison last July. 

Another prominent assassination attempt was in 2022 when Argentina's Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was pointed a gun by a 35-year old man. The man is still awaiting trial for homicide. The same happened to Imran Khan, a former Pakistan Prime Minister. He survived several gunshot wounds in the leg and thighs. 

What was common in all these attempts is that they were done in broad daylight, in the presence of hundreds of thousands of people. In all these assassination attempts, with the exemption of Donald Trump,  the attackers were immediately arrested on-site. US authorities claim that the gunman in Donald Trump's assassination attempt is already dead. 

Breach in National Security

Every nation in the world has established security systems especially those that concern high-profile government officials. Surveillance equipment is usually placed weeks before an event. Security agents usually place a specific area or perimeter to ensure that security systems are placed well and that intervention of any kind is immediately contained. The United States claims superiority in matters like this. Although, we have seen how it failed in its security measures for John F. Kennedy in 1963. Kennedy was shot in the head while riding a presidential motorcade in Texas. 

If these things can happen in a powerful nation such as the United States, where do the lapses reside? Is it the security systems in place? Or are the people behind the security systems to be blamed? The Secret Service would have a lot of explaining to do especially with all the questions circling after the incident. How could have it been possible for the gunman to penetrate the supposed intense security in the perimeter. How could they not have immediately contained the gunman?

Only the investigations into the assassination attempt can answer this. It is also too early to join in the rumors of conspiracies that are starting to spread out. To solve even the most complicated situations, gathering of information and application of the correct analysis is important. This is not the right time to speculate. 

What to expect after Donald Trump's assassination

For the rumors and conspiracies to die down, US authorities should also fast-track the investigation of the assassination attempt. If how well the investigations will push through with a dead gunman, we will see in the coming days. 

On this note, I am reminded of the stealth assassination attempt on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2020 which also shocked the world. Navalny survived a month-long coma after this. Navalny's camp blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin but he denied the allegations. When the news of Navalny's death came last February while serving a 19-year imprisonment, it didn't come as a surprise that there were rumors of conspiracies with regards to his death. The rumors died down after some time but questions remained unanswered until now. 

For now, an online break is needed after a shocking news.