The attack on Donald Trump has raised questions about how the Republican presidential nominee is being protected on the campaign trail and exposed possible security gaps at Saturday’s rally.

In the meantime, the House Oversight Committee – chaired by a Republican congressman – has invited Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify before it on July 22.

“Americans demand answers about the assassination attempt on President Trump”the committee said in a statement posted on social media.

Although details of the incident remain sketchy, at least one person who spoke to the BBC said he had tried in vain to alert police and the Secret Service about a possible sniper who had climbed onto the roof of a building outside the security perimeter set up around the site of Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The Secret Service is primarily responsible for protecting Trump, as a former president and Republican presidential candidate.

At most Republican campaign rallies, local police and the Secret Service provide security. Members of other Department of Homeland Security agencies assist from time to time.

However, this is not an easy task, as thousands of people participate in Trump’s pre-election rallies, while these are held in open spaces and last for hours.

Before the start of the event agents check the venue for any bombs or other threats and the Republican arrives under tight security and a protective escort.

Usually law enforcement members set up a perimeter with iron bars and ask all attendees to pass through a metal detector, while checking their bags and often their wallets. Some even undergo a physical examination.

But yesterday’s attack appears to have been launched by a gunman who was outside the security perimeter, according to initial media reports.

A local resident who was at the rally, who asked to remain anonymous, said he saw two members of the Secret Service on the roof of a building before the event began. He added that these agents were checking the area with binoculars.

“They kept looking to the left behind the venue before Trump came on stage. They seemed to be focused on that point,” he pointed out.

The Secret Service shortly after the attack on Trump announced that it had opened an investigation into the incident and had informed President Joe Biden. However, it has not responded to requests for comment on its security protocols.

Immediately after Trump was shot, members of the Secret Service surrounded him and created a human shield around him, while heavily armed agents entered the scene and began checking the area for threats.

Trump was escorted from the event by agents in a black SUV and taken to a local hospital, according to his campaign team.

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