Investigators are now trying to figure out what drove the shooter, with the FBI saying it believed that Crooks acted alone and had no known ideology.
"We are investigating this as an assassination attempt, but also looking at it as a potential domestic terrorism act," Robert Wells, assistant director of the FBI counterterrorism division, told reporters.
The FBI said the AR-style 556 rifle was believed to have been bought by the shooter's father, but do not yet know how he accessed the weapon or whether he took it without his father's knowledge.
Investigators also found a "suspicious device" in the shooter's car that was inspected by bomb technicians, while they are searching his phone for hints to his motive.
"BULLIED"
Crooks' former schoolmates described him as a quiet student who often came across as lonely.
"He was quiet but he was just bullied. He was bullied so much," Jason Kohler, who said he attended the same high school as Crooks, told reporters.
Biden meanwhile praised the victim, named as firefighter Corey Comperatore, saying he "was protecting his family from the bullets".
The attempt on Trump's life sent shock waves around the world, but the effects on a tight US presidential race in a deeply divided country are uncertain.
Analysts said that in the absence of hard facts from authorities and the media, fake news and misleading claims will rush in to fill the gap.
“There’s a large number of conspiracy theorists in the US and conspiratorial thinking has gone mainstream. Trump himself has encouraged some of this thinking over the years,” said Reilly.
“Unfortunately, this is the tenor of the times that we're in. The internet and social media have a lot to do with this. But as more details come out about the gunman, some of those conspiracies will die down.”
COULD THIS CHANGE GUN LAWS?
Gun control laws are already a contentious issue in the presidential race. Biden has firmed up legislation and wants to ban assault weapons, while Trump says he will unravel all of that if he is back in power.
Analysts said they believe the incident is unlikely to convince the Republicans to embrace stricter gun laws.
“It would be naive to say that there’s no tradition of political violence at all in the US … we just don’t think of (it) as happening very much in the modern era,” said Neiheisel.
“This is an issue that is perpetually a problem in the US and it doesn’t tend to be one that has an easy resolution,” he added.
Reilly, however, pointed out that high-profile incidents in history have led to successful reforms of gun laws. For instance, a dozen firearm Bills were introduced in the wake of the 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy, the US' 35th president.
He added that Trump, who up until now has been opposed to restrictions on gun laws, could have a change of heart, having been a victim himself and surviving a gunshot by a whisker.
“We’ll have to see … what having a near-death experience does to a man like Trump,” he said.
The first batch went on sale on Taobao, a popular Chinese e-commerce platform, at 8.40pm – before most governments around the world had scrambled together a response.
That is China’s speed.
Li Jinwei, a 25-year-old Taobao seller, had her T-shirts on her online shelves by breakfast time in China.
“We put the T-shirts on Taobao as soon as we saw the news about the shooting, though we hadn’t even printed them, and within three hours we saw more than 2,000 orders from both China and the US,” she said.
Taobao is owned by Alibaba, which also owns the South China Morning Post.
A defiant Donald Trump is rushed offstage by secret service following the shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Photo: EPA-EFE
Li’s factory is based in the northern province of Hebei, and to create new products, she simply downloads an image and presses print, with the factory taking an average of one minute to finish a T-shirt.
“For this year’s US presidential election, we only made souvenirs of Trump, as he has a higher chance of winning the election, and he is popular among Chinese netizens,” Li said.
Demand for “election- and rally-themed” custom T-shirts is quite strong in the US market, according to Guangdong-based Allen Yao, co-founder of Xinflying Digital Printing Production.
Earlier this year, Yao opened a fully automated factory in California, with a daily production capacity of around 3,000 T-shirts, a total that is expected to increase to 8,000 by next month.
“The T-shirts are imported from Vietnam and stored in US warehouses, and the production speed is very fast,” Yao said.
A digital printing machine could print 27 square metres (290 sq ft), or about eight election-related T-shirts, in an hour and these could be immediately put on the shelves for sale in California, he added.
“Demand is so strong, and we just can’t produce enough.”
The company plans to open a new factory on the US east coast next year, increasing daily production capacity to 30,000 items.
A Taobao page showing clothing printed with images from after the shooting. Photo: Taobao
Data from DHgate, a Chinese cross-border e-commerce platform focusing on the US market, shows that since January, the transaction volume of election-related souvenirs had grown by more than 40 per cent every month, with month-on-month growth rate in March exceeding 110 per cent.
The total transaction value of US election souvenirs in the first quarter was up more than 90 per cent in the same period last year, Shanghai-based media outlet Yicai reported in May, citing data from DHgate.
For other manufacturers, the prospect of a Trump win goes beyond T-shirts and souvenirs – Chinese exporters are starting to front-load shipments for fear of further tariff increases.
This was partly reflected in data for June exports, which rose 8.6 per cent year on year in US dollar terms, while producer price index and new export orders slumped during the same period.
Chinese home goods exporter Sam Xiao said his company in Texas had asked its China headquarters to immediately order and ship products to fill their warehouses before the end of the year.
“Many exporters are discussing the need to ship goods before the election to cope with potential cascading changes ahead, like possible tariff hikes and skyrocketing shipping costs,” he said.
Gao Zhendong, a Beijing-based supply chain specialist helping Chinese firms to invest globally, said the increase in exports would not be great because the Chinese supply chain had already made adjustments over the past six to seven years, and the Biden administration had largely continued the tariff policies of the Trump years.
But a Trump win would affect supply chains.
“Most exporters feel that this unexpected event has significantly increased Trump’s chances of winning,” Gao said.
“If Trump wins, tariffs on the ‘new three’ products [photovoltaics, lithium-ion batteries and new energy vehicles], iron and aluminium products will be significantly raised.
“Furthermore, it also implies that related supply chains in Vietnam and Mexico could be negatively impacted, as Trump has consistently criticised Vietnam and Mexico as ‘re-export havens’ for Chinese production.”
Chinese imports, however, were unlikely to drop further, Gao added.
“The volume of trade between China and the United States has significantly decreased in recent years and has stabilised. There is limited room to reduce Chinese imports further because any attempt by the US government to decrease Chinese imports further will be constrained by US inflationary pressures.”
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said he was shocked to hear about the assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump.
"I am relieved to hear reports that he is safe and recovering well. Our thoughts are also with the family of the deceased and those injured and impacted by the senseless attack," Mr Wong wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday (Jul 14).
"We should never resort to violence regardless of any differences of views."
Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, in what the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said was an assassination attempt.
The Republican presidential candidate had just started his speech when the shots rang out.
Trump, 78, grabbed his right ear with his right hand, then brought his hand down to look at it before dropping to his knees behind the podium before Secret Service agents swarmed and covered him.
He emerged about a minute later, with streaks of blood on the right of his face. The Republican presidential candidate pumped his fists and shouted at the audience before he was escorted off stage.
The shooter was dead, one rally attendee was killed and two other spectators were injured, the Secret Service said in a statement.
Through darkened windows, the wealthy businessman passenger peered at the hive of activity taking place at the property leased by Su Jianfeng.
The passenger, Mr Su Binghai, was curious. He had received information that his friend Su Jianfeng and several others he knew were being arrested.
Worried that he would be next, he told his driver to head back to the GCB he was renting in Jalan Asuhan, off Adam Road.
During the 10-minute drive, he called a number of people in Indonesia, Malaysia and Dubai, where he owns two properties worth a combined $1.2 million.
Once he arrived home, he told his wife, Ms Wang Manzu, that they had to leave Singapore. He dumped between 20 and 30 Patek Philippe watches into his bags, and took as much money as he could carry.
He then left Singapore just hours after his friends were apprehended in what was to become Singapore’s largest money laundering case.
Ms Wang left Singapore the next day on Aug 16, 2023. Their three children, aged 11 to 15, along with Mr Su’s parents, who were living with them, left Singapore within the next two months.
Weeks after the raids, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department turned up at Mr Su’s home and forced open more than 10 safes and several locked rooms.
They took away a number of items, and served prohibition of disposal orders for others, including his fleet of luxury cars.
The Straits Times was given an insight into his last hours in Singapore and his opulent lifestyle after one of his nine employees made contact.
The employee said he suspected the man he referred to as “laoban” (“boss” in Mandarin) and “Su Zong” (“director Su” in Mandarin) was involved in the case.
Out of concern for his safety, he is being identified as Dave and not by his real name.
SPH Brightcove Video
Su Binghai, a businessman linked to the $3 billion money laundering case, is now a person of interest to the police and a fugitive. One of his ex-employees spoke to The Straits Times about his former boss' lifestyle.
Although Mr Su may have little access to his assets in Singapore, he still has considerable resources. He also has friends in organised crime syndicates based overseas.
Mr Su, who holds Cambodian citizenship and has passports from Vanuatu and St Kitts and Nevis, had presented himself as a legitimate businessman.
He was listed as a director and shareholder in six businesses, including New Future Holdings, which was purportedly involved in creating software applications.
He had also established private equity firm New Future International in 2017 in Hong Kong, where he owns a home.
Ms Wang had a Singapore Island Country Club membership, which cost more than $900,000 for foreigners.
Mr Su donated to the Singapore Disability Sports Council’s charity golf event in 2022. He was also recognised as a donor in the Community Chest’s 2023 awards.
His family often dined at the finest Chinese restaurants, preferring private dining rooms, where he would pay cash even though the couple had American Express Centurion cards.
The exclusive invite-only credit card is commonly known as the “Black Card”. Reports claim that cardholders have to spend around $500,000 annually to be a member.
Dave said: “He would have stacks of $100 bills folded in his pockets. Sometimes after meals, he would just pay the restaurant with cash.”
Mr Su owned nine luxury cars, including two Ferraris – a blue F8 Spider and a red SF90 Stradale – and two Rolls-Royces – a purple Cullinan and a black Phantom. They are worth at least $10 million on the second-hand market.
Dave said his boss would occasionally take the blue Ferrari for a spin.
Su Binghai is said to be a fishing enthusiast who often went into open waters on his own yacht, which was docked at One Degree15 Marina in Sentosa Cove. PHOTO: ST READER
Seven of the cars were parked at his Jalan Asuhan compound. Two other cars – a Tiffany-blue Rolls-Royce Phantom and a white McLaren GT – were parked at a home in Rochalie Drive.
The property was leased by Mr Su Bingwang, with whom Mr Su Binghai set up a company in Hong Kong in 2017.
When Mr Su Binghai ate at home, his meals were often accompanied by expensive wine or whiskey, including a few shots of his favourite 35-year-old Macallan whiskey that costs upwards of $15,000 a bottle.
His employees, including a live-in chef, would wait on the family and jump at their every whim.
“He initially paid my wages in cash, but later made bank transfers. He was demanding, and would not take no for an answer,” said Dave, who started working for the family at the start of 2023.
Mr Su Binghai was a collector of rare Macallan whiskies, and among his favourites was a 35-year bottle customised with his surname “Su” in place of the Macallan logo. PHOTO: ST READER
Dave worked seven days a week without any breaks. His day would start at 6.30am and end late in the evening.
He said Mr Su would regularly make eleventh-hour demands for a game of golf, movie tickets or dinner at restaurants where reservations are closed.
“He would demand to play at the golf clubs whenever he felt like it, even if they were full.
“He would insist that we do it by any means possible, to slot him and his friends in,” said Dave.
Mr Su enjoyed entertaining his friends at the 19,000 sq ft estate, away from prying eyes.
One such party, held in early 2023, had more than 60 guests. Several foreigners who were later convicted in the money laundering case attended the dinner with their wives and families.
“Luxury cars belonging to the guests lined the streets during the parties.
“My boss would hire waitresses to serve the guests, and there would be multiple private chefs cooking for them,” Dave added.
After dinner, his friends would belt out Chinese tunes in the karaoke studio or retreat to the dedicated massage rooms and sauna for more private conversations. They also indulged in whiskey and Cuban cigars.
A KTV lounge in Mr Su Binghai’s Jalan Asuhan home. PHOTO: ST READER
When Mr Su wanted men-only privacy, he would go to a huge bungalow near Stevens Road. The home was rented by Wang Dehai, one of the foreigners convicted in the money laundering case.
They would party at the 12,800 sq ft property into the wee hours, and often arranged for social escorts.
Checks by ST found that the house Wang leased was listed for sale in July for $48 million.
Mr Su and his wife filled their four-storey home in Jalan Asuhan with expensive oil paintings, crystal figurines, and houseware and tableware from Hermes.
Checks online showed that a single fork or spoon can cost up to $185, while a salad bowl costs $2,000. Their floor-to-ceiling, walk-in wardrobe was full of branded clothes.
Dave said he often saw representatives of brands like Louis Vuitton delivering new clothes and bags to the house.
A package from luxury house Chanel delivered to Mr Su Binghai’s residence. PHOTO: ST READER
ST verified Dave’s claims through various documents and thousands of photos of Mr Su, his wife, their children and the home.
Some photos reveal the opulent life the couple enjoyed, which included regular trips to China and Europe. They often flew in first or business class, but would also charter private planes for trips.
One photo shows Mr Su on holiday with Su Jianfeng. Their families had accompanied them on the trip.
Mr Su Binghai (in grey shirt and white cap) and Su Jianfeng (far right), one of the 10 foreigners convicted in Singapore’s largest money laundering case, had holidayed together with their families. PHOTO: ST READER
Dave said that during his employment, his boss and his wife frequently travelled to Britain and Dubai, with each trip lasting two weeks.
There is a photo showing Mr Su Binghai and his family seated near the VIP boxes at the 2018 Fifa World Cup final held in Moscow.
“I felt something didn’t add up a few weeks into my job. Here was a family living in such luxury, yet I never saw my boss work a day when I was employed by him,” said Dave.
Then came the raids in August 2023.
“Another employee told me that on the day of the arrests, my boss had caught wind of the operation and instructed one of the chauffeurs to drive him past Su Jianfeng’s house to see what was happening.”
Mr Su Binghai then returned home and packed his bags.
“I remember clearly there were between 20 and 30 empty Patek Philippe watch boxes on the floor after he left,” Dave said.
A dedicated massage room in Mr Su Binghai’s Jalan Asuhan home. PHOTO: ST READER
Mr Su and his wife later contacted the employees from overseas, but would not say where they were calling from.
“He was trying to tell all of us (employees) that he was not involved, and that everything would be fine,” said Dave.
Close links
While in Singapore, Mr Su and an associate, Mr Su Fuxiang, snapped up properties through their companies, with some purchases made just two months before the raids.
Mr Su Binghai was the sole director and owner of Jiasheng Amoy. In 2021, the company bought a three-storey unit at 182 Telok Ayer Street and four adjoining units of two-storey shophouses – from 55 to 58 Amoy Street.
Mr Su Fuxiang bought a row of shophouses in the Boat Quay area for $80 million in June 2023 through his company Suyh.
Like Mr Su Binghai, Mr Su Fuxiang and Mr Su Bingwang left Singapore abruptly after the raids.
The shophouses were later claimed by DBS Bank after the companies they bought the homes under were put into receivership.
In June 2024, DBS reportedly accepted more than $100 million for the 13 shophouses.
Documents seen by ST show that Mr Su Binghai had also bought a unit at The Marq on Paterson Hill, the same luxury development where Wang Dehai had a unit.
Wang, who was convicted in the money laundering case, bought his unit using $23 million of criminal benefits from his role at an illegal gambling syndicate in the Philippines.
Dave said his boss attended a house-warming party, along with Mr Su Fuxiang and another associate Su Yongcan, sometime in 2023. It was held at Wang’s unit at The Marq.
An Interpol red notice was later issued against Su Yongcan – the brother-in-law of Wang and Su Jianfeng – at the behest of the Singapore Police Force.
The three had been named as major suspects in an online gambling syndicate by China’s Ministry of Public Security as early as 2015.
Mr Su Binghai and Su Yongcan were next-door neighbours in Jalan Asuhan. Dave said that Su Yongcan and his wife would frequently attend parties hosted by his boss.
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The end
After the raids and Mr Su Binghai’s disappearance, several business partners ceased their relationships with him, his wife and their companies.
Documents seen by ST show that New Future Holdings terminated his services on Sept 18, 2023. The company claimed he owed them more than $26,000.
There were also mortgage payment bills which show that he had an outstanding loan of more than $12.4 million for his unit at The Marq.
ST last visited the Jalan Asuhan home in May. The cars were gone, and the home looked empty.
Next door, several men were spotted working on the grounds of Su Yongcan’s home on May 14.
The men, who identified themselves as workers from a firm providing gardening services, said around 10 luxury cars, tagged with prohibition of disposal orders, sat covered in dust in the driveway.
The authorities had earlier seized more than $16 million in cash from seven properties linked to Su Yongcan. They also froze more than $145 million in various bank accounts linked to him.
Dave said he heard from Su Yongcan’s employees that the foreigner had left Singapore before the Aug 15 raids.
Seven of them – Su Wenqiang, Wang Baosen, Su Baolin, Su Haijin, Zhang Ruijin, Chen Qingyuan and Lin Baoying – were deported to Cambodia in May and June. Vang Shuiming was deported to Japan in June. Wang Dehai was deported to Britain in July. Only Su Jianfeng remains in Singapore.
The police in May said they were working with Interpol to issue red notices for several other suspects.
They would not confirm if Mr Su Binghai is among them.
This weekend's celebrations end Sunday with a reception party, and cap months of extravagant pre-wedding festivities.
Earlier events this year included a party at the Ambanis' ancestral home where a purpose-built Hindu temple was unveiled, and private performances by R&B star Rihanna and Canada's Justin Bieber.
Guests at that gala included Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and former US president Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka, along with a who's who of India's sporting and entertainment worlds.
In June, the couple embarked on a four-day Mediterranean cruise along with 1,200 guests, with singer Katy Perry performing at a masquerade ball at a French chateau in Cannes.
Mumbai this year overtook Beijing to become the Asian city with the most billionaires, according to a Chinese research institute survey.
But despite India being the world's fastest-growing economy, the gap between rich and poor remains vast. More than half of the country's 1.4 billion people live on less than four dollars per day, according to World Bank figures from 2021.
A strike on a tent camp in Khan Younis reportedly by the Israeli military on July 13.
PHOTO: REUTERS
CAIRO – An Israeli air strike killed at least 71 Palestinians in a designated humanitarian zone in Gaza on July 13, the enclave’s Health Ministry said, in an attack that Israel said targeted Hamas’ military chief Mohammed Deif.
Hamas said in a statement that Israel’s claim that it had targeted the group’s leaders was false and aimed at justifying the attack.
The Israeli military said the strike against Deif also targeted Rafa Salama, commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade. It described the two as among the masterminds of the Oct 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war in Gaza.
Deif has survived seven Israeli assassination attempts, the most recent in 2021, and has topped Israel’s most wanted list for decades. Israel also holds him responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings.
The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 71 Palestinians had been killed in the strike and 289 injured, the deadliest toll in weeks.
Al-Mawasi is a designated humanitarian area which the Israeli army has repeatedly urged Palestinians to head to after issuing evacuation orders from other areas.
The Israeli military published an aerial photo of the site, which Reuters was not immediately able to verify, where it claimed “terrorists hid among civilians”.
“The location of the strike was an open area surrounded by trees, several buildings and sheds,” it said in a statement.
A military official told journalists in an online briefing that the area was not a tent complex, but an operational compound run by Hamas and that several more militants were there, guarding Deif.
It was unclear whether Deif was killed.
“We are still checking and verifying the results of the strike,” the military official said.
Many of those wounded in the strike were taken to the nearby Nasser Hospital, which hospital officials said had been overwhelmed and was “no longer able to function” due to the intensity of the Israeli offensive and an acute shortage of medical supplies.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant was holding special consultations, his office said, in the light of “developments in Gaza”. It was unclear how the strike would affect ceasefire talks under way in Doha and Cairo.
The Hamas-run media office said at least 100 people had been killed and wounded, including members of the Civil Emergency Service.
A senior Hamas official did not confirm whether Deif had been present and called the Israeli allegations “nonsense”.
“All the martyrs are civilians and what happened was a grave escalation of the war of genocide, backed by the American support and world silence,” the official, Mr Abu Zuhri, told Reuters, adding that the strike showed Israel was not interested in reaching a ceasefire deal.
Separately, at least 10 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack on a prayer hall at a Gaza camp for displaced people west of Gaza City, Palestinian health officials said.
Attack ‘surprising’, says witness
Reuters footage showed ambulances racing towards the area amid clouds of smoke and dust. Displaced people, including women and children, were fleeing in panic, some holding belongings in their hands.
Witnesses said the attack was a surprise as the area had been calm, adding that more than one missile had been fired. Some of the wounded, who were being evacuated, were rescue workers, they said.
“They’re all gone, my whole family’s gone... where are my brothers? They’re all gone, they’re all gone. There’s no one left,” said one tearful woman, who did not give her name.
“Our children are in pieces, they are in pieces. Shame (on you),” she added.
Rising through the Hamas ranks over 30 years, Deif developed the group’s network of tunnels and its bomb-making expertise, Hamas sources say.
In March, Israel said it killed Deif’s deputy, Marwan Issa. Hamas has since neither confirmed nor denied his death.
Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages in a cross-border raid into southern Israel on Oct 7, Israel says.
Israel has retaliated with military action in Gaza that has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, according to tallies by the medical authorities in Gaza. REUTERS
