Washington, May 3 (IANS). US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on Sunday that the suspect in last week’s shooting at an event in Washington aimed to assassinate President Donald Trump and that the attack was carried out as part of a premeditated plan.
Pirro said forensic and video evidence from the investigation directly points to the suspect’s role in the attack, which included the attack on a Secret Service officer.
He said that a pellet from the suspect’s shotgun was recovered from the officer’s bulletproof jacket.
Pirro described the attack as a deliberate and planned act.
“This was a premeditated, violent attack aimed at the President (Trump) and anyone present there,” he said.
According to the US Attorney, investigators have prepared a strong case based on the suspect’s activities and digital evidence.
“He started planning the attack as soon as the President said he was coming to the Hilton Hotel for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” he said.
He said that the suspect monitored the President’s activities and collected complete information about the program.
Pirro said, “It is clear that the President (Trump) was his target.”
He also said that weapons and other equipment have also been found in the investigation, which shows that he was preparing for a major attack.
According to him, the suspect had a shotgun, handgun, knife and other weapons.
Authorities have also released CCTV footage from inside the hotel, in which the suspect was seen roaming around the hotel and changing coats to hide the weapon.
“He comes out fast and tries to move forward,” Pirro said.
He said that more video evidence will be released in future.
He also rejected political speculations and said that the case is based only on evidence.
He also said that the prosecution is confident that they will prove the intention of the accused in the court.
“This person is not crazy, he is completely sane and clear,” he said.
Officials said the accused has been arrested and further legal action is underway.
Experts believe that after this incident, the security arrangements of big political events can be reviewed again.
–IANS
amt/ms
