The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI, which is investigating the assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a Republican rally in Pennsylvania last month, has revealed that gunman Thomas Crooks acted alone.
The FBI said it has found no evidence of any foreign involvement in the case. However, the investigating agency said the motive behind the assassination attempt is still unclear.
Giving details about the gunman’s search history, the FBI said, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks has a varied ideology. They also shared pictures of the weapon used and said they found improvised explosive devices or IEDs in his vehicle.
Improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, were found in Thomas Gates’ vehicle.
Talking about Thomas Crooks’ search history, the FBI revealed that he had searched more than 60 times for information about the Republican presidential candidate as well as his then-rival, Democratic candidate and President Joe Biden. The gunman’s online searches date back to September 2023. After nearly a year of extensive searching, the gunman chose to register for a Trump rally.
The FBI said the gunman made a “sustained, detailed effort” to attack a large gathering before deciding to target the Republican presidential candidate at a rally in Pennsylvania in July.
Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at an outdoor rally in Butler, with one bullet striking Trump in his ear.
“We saw a sustained, detailed effort to plan attacks around certain events, meaning he monitored multiple events or targets,” Kevin Rojek, the FBI’s top official in western Pennsylvania, told reporters.
Mr. Rojek added that when Trump’s rally was announced, Crooks became “extremely focused” on it “and he saw it as an opportunity.”
Thomas Crooks fired several shots from an AR-15 style rifle during the rally.
The assassination attempt on Donald Trump took place on July 13, 2024, when the former president was addressing a Republican campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The attacker, Thomas Crooks, was from Bethel Park, a village located 40 miles south of the location of Trump’s rally.
The FBI shared photos of evidence collected in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
During the rally, the gunman fired several shots from an AR-15 style rifle, one of which grazed Donald Trump’s ear. The shooter set himself up on the roof of a manufacturing plant located about 130 yards from the stage at the Butler Farm Showground. While Donald Trump survived the assassination attempt and US Secret Service agents came to the stage to save him, one civilian was killed and two others were seriously injured in the firing.
Thomas Crooks was shot and killed at the rally by a US Secret Service counter sniper team.
Thomas Crooks was shot by a US Secret Service counter sniper team at the rally. To this day his motive remains unknown.