The FBI has released photos of the rifle used to shoot former President Donald Trump during the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Law enforcement also said it had linked a “mix of ideologies” to the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, who was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper. One rally attendee was killed in the shooting and two others were wounded by the eight shots Crooks fired before he was killed.
Although the investigation is ongoing, the FBI has said it has found no motive or evidence that Crooks had any accomplices.
Investigators believe the crooks “were involved in detailed attack planning,” said Pittsburgh FBI field office chief Kevin Rojek in a press conference, according to CBS News.
He added that after the announcement, Crooks was “hyperfocused” on the rally in Butler and “viewed it as a target of opportunity.”
An online account linked to the shooter was used to search for Trump events in Pennsylvania starting in September of last year. Between April of this year and the day before the shooting, Crooks searched for campaign events for Trump as well as for President Joe Biden.
After the Butler rally was announced, Rojek said Crooks searched for information about the venue, such as the term “Butler Farm Show Podium.”
In June, Crooks searched for things related to both Biden and Trump, such as the dates of the Democratic and Republican party conventions.
Accounts linked to Crooks began searching for terms related to making explosive devices as early as 2019. Rojek said the shooter searched for terms such as “detonating cord,” “how to make a bomb out of fertilizer” and “how do remote detonators work.”
Rojek said some accounts linked to Crooks were used to post anti-Semitic comments and investigators are trying to determine whether he wrote those posts himself.
The field office chief added that Crooks spent six minutes on the roof, from where he aimed at Trump, before opening fire. He said the gunman fired eight bullets while police fired two, one bullet coming from the sniper and the other from a local officer.
There is no evidence that the local police officer struck Crooks, nor is there any evidence that it was another shooter who aimed at Trump.
The FBI said they conducted a “productive” interview with Trump about the shooting and that Crooks’ parents were “extremely cooperative.”
Law enforcement also released new photos of the evidence collected so far. One of the images released shows the rifle used by Crooks that was brought to the crime scene – a DPMS Panther Arms AR rifle. The weapon features an extendable buttstock and an optical sight, according to the FBI.
In another photo, the rifle can be seen disassembled next to Crooks’ backpack.
The third photo released by authorities shows two explosive devices in the back seat of Crooks’ car. The photo was taken by the Allegheny County Police Department.
The FBI said the receiver used to remotely detonate the bombs was turned off, adding that “the bombs had several design issues.”
The last photo released by the FBI shows the air conditioning unit that Crooks used to get to the roof of the building and open fire.
