How there were two sniper teams not one on Donald Trump's security detail and both had clear sight of building Thomas Crooks scaled to take aim at him

It has emerged that two Secret Service sniper teams were scouting Trump's security and both appeared trained on the building where Thomas Crooks managed to carry out his assassination attempt on the former president during a rally on Saturday night.

Less than two minutes before gunfire erupted at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally the teams appeared to be positioning themselves to face the direction of the shooter.

Footage showing the two teams of agents, armed with their sniper rifles but not shooting until Crooks, 20, had already fired shots at the former president has raised questions around the Secret Service's security footprint.

In the videos and images of the counter-snipers circulating on social media, the two teams donning black protective gear appear to be trained on the American Glass Research building, where Crooks had managed to gain access to the roof.

But as they seemed to be refining their aim, neither of the teams eliminated the threat until it was too late and Trump was hit - despite the Secret Service being alerted to Crooks' presence by concerned rally-goers.

One-minute-and-32-seconds before shots were heard, footage captured the moment two Secret Service sniper teams moved into place on roofs behind the former president.

One team were located on the south roof and one on the north roof facing the direction of the shooter.

It is not clear in footage whether the agents are repositioning or gearing up to fire.

While Trump delivers his speech, the snipers are seen still facing Crooks, before an agent on the north roof lift his head up before shots begin to ring out.

At 6:15pm, agents rush on to the stage to pull Trump to the ground after he was hit and only then do the snipers eliminate him.

Witnesses described seeing Crooks armed with a rifle climbing onto the roof of the building 130 yards away - where law enforcement later recovered an AR-style rifle.

The gunman fired at least eight shots from outside the security perimeter in an incident that has sparked immediate calls for an an investigation into the security failure.

A witness to the assassination revealed he warned Secret Service agents about a man with a rifle on a nearby roof minutes before they opened fire.

The witness, named Greg Smith, told DailyMail.com that he saw the suspected gunman climb into a rooftop outside the event, and was bewildered by the lack of action from agents.

'I’m thinking to myself 'Why is Trump still speaking, why have they not pulled him off the stage,'' he said. 'The next thing you know, five shots ring out.'

This has raised serious questions around whether the two teams had completely failed to spot the shooter until it was too late and how Crooks was able to fire at least eight shots before he was taken down. 

Former Secret Service agent Joseph LaSorsa said there will be an 'intensive review' and 'massive realignment' in the agency. 'This cannot happen' he said.

He also explained to DailyMail.com why agents from the under-fire service may not have been able to see the gunman.

'Remember they’re observing 360 and you’re dealing with seconds. They’re monitoring maybe in that case it might have been 240 degrees.

'They’re looking at many areas and it only took seconds for that individual to get up there and luckily he was a 20 year old and not a superior marksman.

'Luckily for all of us as a country that he was only 20.'   

According to NBC News, the rooftop where Crooks was based was identified by the Secret Service as a potential vulnerability in the days leading up to the campaign rally.

The glass building is directly adjacent to the Butler Farm Show where Trump was delivering his speech before being targeted.

A former Secret Service agent told the news channel: 'Someone should have been on the roof or securing the building so no one could get on the roof'.

On Sunday, the shooter was identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks - a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

It has since emerged through federal campaign finance records that the gunman was a registered Republican who had previously made a $15 donation to the liberal ActBlue political action committee on January 20, 2021 - Biden's Inauguration Day.

Explosive devices were found in his vehicle and home after his father, Matthew Crooks, 53, legally purchased the AR-15 that his son used to attempt to assassinate Trump.

The gunman killed one rally goer, revealed to be Corey Comperatore, and critically injured two - including David Dutch, 57, a marine veteran.

Although his assassination attempt was unsuccessful, Crooks opened fire on Trump but only managed to graze his ear.

Trump was seen in footage clutching his right ear and ducking behind the podium, while his security detail created a wall of bodies around him and the gunman was taken out.

With blood running down his face, Trump stood up and raised his fist in the air and repeatedly yelled 'fight' as he was escorted off stage by suited members of the Secret Service.

Crooks, who graduated high school just two years ago, parked his vehicle near the rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday before scaling to the roof of the glass building and targeting the former president. 

Authorities claim that after police received multiple reports of suspicious packages near where the shooter parked his car it prompted them to dispatch bomb technicians.

Investigators worked well into the night to make sure the scene was clear, which included searching Crooks' home and speaking with his family.

The FBI search led to the discovery of more bombs in the family's Bethel Park home, according to reports.