World leaders rushed to condemn the attack on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, an incident that roiled the U.S. election campaign and raised fears of further political violence.
Antonio Guterres, the United Nations’ secretary-general, "unequivocally" condemned what the FBI has described as an assassination attempt.
"The secretary-general unequivocally condemns this act of political violence. He sends his best wishes to President Trump for a speedy recovery," Guterres spokesman Stephan Dujarric said in a statement.
Trump was speaking at a campaign rally on July 13 in western Pennsylvania when several shots were fired. He said later that he had been hit in the ear by a bullet and slightly wounded.
SEE ALSO: Biden Orders Review Of Security Measures Amid Search For Trump Shooting MotiveTwo people were killed, including the suspected shooter, and two other spectators were wounded. The FBI later identified the suspected gunman as a 20-year-old man from a town not far from where the rally was held. Law enforcement officials also said a semiautomatic rifle had been recovered at the scene.
Former U.S. President Trump Wounded In Campaign Rally Shooting Incident
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was "deeply shocked" by the shooting.
"Political violence has no place in a democracy," she wrote on X. "I wish Donald Trump a speedy recovery and offer my condolences to the family of the innocent victim."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was "sickened" by the violence.
"It cannot be overstated -- political violence is never acceptable. My thoughts are with former President Trump, those at the event, and all Americans," he said in a post to X.
Josep Borrell, the European Union's top diplomat, said he was shocked and strongly condemned the attack.
"Once again, we are witnessing unacceptable acts of violence against political representatives," he wrote on X.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni voiced "solidarity" with Trump, while French President Emmanuel Macron wished him a "speedy recovery," while calling the shooting "a tragedy for our democracies."
"France shares the shock and indignation of the American people," Macron said in a post to X.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also described the violence as a threat to democracy.
"The attack on U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump is despicable," he said in a post to X. "Such acts of violence threaten democracy."
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who visited Trump at his home in Florida earlier in the week, said his thoughts and prayers were with the former U.S. president.
And Ukraine’s president, who has had a fraught relationship in the past with Trump, said he was appalled to hear of the violence.
"Such violence has no justification and no place anywhere in the world. Never should violence prevail," Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a post to X.
"We pray for his safety and speedy recovery," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post to X.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused President Joe Biden's administration of creating an atmosphere that provoked the attack on Trump.
"We do not believe that the attempt to eliminate and assassinate Trump was organized by the current authorities," Peskov told reporters in a conference call.
"But the atmosphere that the [Biden] administration has created through its political fights, the atmosphere that's surrounding candidate Trump, has provoked what America is now facing today."
The incident came two days before the opening of the Republican National Convention, at which the businessman and former reality TV star is expected to secure the party's nomination and less than four months before the November 5 election.