Trump attack: security concerns and the attacker's 'manifesto'

The White House told Cnn that Allen's family members, after receiving the note, forwarded it to the police minutes before the attempted attack. The brother, in particular, reportedly informed the Police Department of New London, Connecticut. The department, which, at the moment, would not make a statement, specifying that it would provide a release later in the day.

Allen then joked about the 'crazy' lack of security at the event, explaining thatIranian agents could have introduced a far more devastating arsenal. "No one would have noticed. What I noticed upon entering the hotel was the sense of arrogance. The security was all outside, focused on the protesters. Apparently no one thought about what could happen if someone checked in the day before. In short, an insane level of incompetence that I hope will be rectified by the time this country has competent leadership'.

According to Adnkronos, stringent controls with metal detectors and area isolation had been set up outside for the event, but access from inside the hotel may have been a vulnerability. This is now the focus of operational checks by the federal authorities.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed solidarity, emphasising that political violence 'has no place in our democracies'. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke of an "attack on free and open societies", while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated that decisions are made by majority vote and not with weapons. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for the democratic confrontation "with ideas" and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned political fanaticism. Similar messages came from the president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer renewed in a direct phone call to Trump his 'relief' that the US president and first lady Melania had emerged 'safe and sound' from the shooting. Downing Street reported this, pointing out that Starmer called the images of the attempted ambush 'shocking' and wished the wounded Secret Service agent 'a speedy recovery'.

The two leaders, on the eve of theofficial visit scheduled to begin tomorrow in the US by King Charles III (as British head of state) and Queen Camilla, also spoke of the situation in the "Middle East, against the backdrop of the ceasefire following the war between the US and Israel on the one side and Iran on the other, reiterating "the urgent need for the resumption of transits through the Strait of Hormuz" in light of the "serious consequences" that the restrictions on commercial shipping cause "to the global economy and the cost of living for the people of the UK" and the rest of the world.

Asked by Fox News about the possibility that plans on the arrival of the British royals had changed in light of last night's shooting, the president replied: 'There are a lot of little points at stake. Charles III will come, he is a great man and I am looking forward to meeting him". According to the BBC,the security measures will be strengthened. Presumably, this will mean rearranging the times when Charles and Camilla will be visible to the public.

"She (Melania Trump, ed.) is fine. I'm fine. And it was a very sad evening in many ways. And it was also an evening where a lot of people came together,' the US president said in a telephone interview with Fox News. He went on to praise law enforcement and the Secret Service: 'And the Secret Service and all the law enforcement agencies, in my opinion, were exceptional, you know? You can always find the nitpick about everything else, but they were exceptional. They stopped it out of the blue. And there were no tricks, I can assure you. They were strong people with integrity who must be paid.

At the moment, the authorities point out, there is no public evidence of an organised network, but all avenues remain open.