This image provided by the FBI shows Thomas Matthew Crooks’ rifle, presumably disassembled for transport, and the backpack found at the crime scene in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Crooks searched online for events of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire as a “target of opportunity,” a senior FBI official said. (FBI via AP)
The FBI has released new photos and new details about the shooter as part of its investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
The FBI says its investigation into the shooting at Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is ongoing. There is currently no motive or evidence that the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was working with others.
However, the FBI said the crooks searched online for events hosted by Trump and President Joe Biden, repeatedly looked up information about explosives and viewed the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire last month as a “target of opportunity.”
This image provided by the FBI shows Thomas Matthew Crooks’ rifle as it was found at the crime scene in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Crooks searched online for events of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire as a “target of opportunity,” a senior FBI official said. (FBI via AP)
The FBI confirmed that Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet during the attack. Crooks, who was on the roof of a nearby building, fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service sniper.
Investigators who conducted nearly 1,000 interviews believe the Crooks conducted “extensive attack planning.”
This image provided by the FBI shows two improvised explosive devices originally discovered in Thomas Matthew Crooks’ car at the crime scene in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Crooks searched online for events of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire as a “target of opportunity,” a senior FBI official said. (FBI via AP)
The FBI’s analysis of his online search history shows “a sustained, detailed effort to plan an attack on a specific event. That is, he looked at any number of events or targets,” Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, told reporters on Wednesday.
When a Trump rally was announced for July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, “he was extremely focused on that particular event and viewed it as a target of opportunity,” Rojek said. Crooks’ internet searches in the days leading up to the rally included queries about the site where the rally was being held: “Where will Trump speak at the Butler Farm Show?”, “Butler Farm Show podium” and “Butler Farm Show photos.”
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump is led off the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The new details complete the emerging picture of Crooks as a man who investigators say had an uncanny interest in explosives, major events and prominent politicians, but whose internet research into the major parties has thwarted efforts to determine a simple motive.
“We have a clear idea of the mentality, but cannot make any final statements about the motive at this point,” said Rojek.
(Copyright 2024. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
