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‘Suspicious’ man arrested near RNC grounds on Monday had concealed firearm, police say

Theo

Top line

A “suspicious” looking man carrying a concealed firearm in his backpack was arrested in Milwaukee on Monday outside the Republican National Convention control area, police said Tuesday evening, amid heightened security concerns following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump over the weekend.

Key data

Milwaukee police told multiple news outlets that the arrest was made around 1 p.m. Monday afternoon after police stopped a 21-year-old man wearing a ski mask and carrying a large tactical backpack.

U.S. Capitol Police officers stopped the individual a few blocks from the Fiserv Forum, where the Republican National Convention is taking place – just outside the event’s vehicle screening area.

The “suspicious” looking person did not have a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Wisconsin or any other state.

Police did not release any further details about the arrested man, including his name or the type of weapon he was carrying.

It is also unclear whether the person was considered a threat to the GOP event or its attendees.

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Important background

The gunman’s arrest came just days after an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Saturday night. Trump was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman fired at him from the roof of a nearby building. A bullet grazed Trump’s right ear, causing him to bleed and fall to the ground before Secret Service rushed to cover him. Moments later, Secret Service agents escorted him off the stage as he raised his fist at the audience, spurting blood on the right side of his face. The gunman, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by Secret Service agents. Still, Crooks’ rampage resulted in the death of at least one rally attendee and left two others seriously injured. The incident has since raised serious questions about potential security lapses surrounding the event and led to heightened security measures around Trump.

tangent

On Tuesday afternoon in Milwaukee, a man was shot and killed by out-of-state police officers providing security for the RNC in a residential neighborhood just a mile from the venue. Police alleged the man in question was carrying a knife in each hand while arguing with an unarmed person. Five officers from the Columbus Police Department, Ohio, were on bicycle patrol in the area when they came across the altercation. Milwaukee Police officials said the out-of-state police officers asked the man to drop his knives before shooting him because he posed a threat to the other person’s life.

Further information

Ohio police officers on RNC security shoot man in neighborhood near venue (Forbes)

Man arrested with gun in backpack near Republican National Convention (NBC News)

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