WASHINGTON: World leaders have mostly condemned Saturday's attack on Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania in which the former president was shot in the ear, expressing shock, denouncing political violence and wishing him a quick recovery. The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the attacker. He was shot dead and law enforcement officials said they had not yet identified a motive.
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the shooting and called it an "act of political violence." Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said: "We must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "appalled by the shocking scenes" at the rally. "Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack." China's foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday that President Xi Jinping has expressed his condolences to former President Trump.
Russia blames Biden
The Kremlin said on Sunday it did not believe the US administration was responsible for Saturday's assassination attempt but accused it of creating an atmosphere that provoked the attack.
"We do not believe that the attempt to eliminate and assassinate Trump was organized by the current authorities," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "But the atmosphere around candidate Trump ... provoked what America is confronting today." His comments echoed those of some of Trump's Republican allies, who immediately pinned the blame on Biden. "After numerous attempts to remove candidate Trump from the political arena - using first legal tools, the courts, prosecutors, attempts to politically discredit and compromise the candidate — it was obvious to all outside observers that his life was in danger," Peskov said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said there was "no justification" for such violence and he was "relieved" that Trump, who has frequently criticized U.S. military aid to Ukraine amid Russia's invasion, was safe and wished him "a speedy recovery."
A ‘tragedy’ for democracy
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was "concerning and confronting," while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it left him "sickened." Trudeau added: "Political violence is never acceptable." Similar comments were also made by the leaders of the European Union, Egypt, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and the Philippines.
"It is a tragedy for our democracies," French President Emmanuel Macron said of the shooting. "France shares the shock and indignation of the American people." Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said the shooting left him shocked. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who met Trump this week while visiting the US for a NATO summit, said his prayers were with the former president "in these dark hours."
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called the shooting unacceptable while also urging others to condemn it. "The attack against former President Donald Trump must be vehemently repudiated by all defenders of democracy and dialogue in politics. What we saw today is unacceptable," the Brazilian leader said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Trump a friend and wished him a speedy recovery while saying: "Strongly condemn the incident. Violence has no place in politics and democracies." — Reuters