FBI Provides Update on Trump Assassination Attempt, Reveals Attack Strategy
Washington: The FBI has unveiled new insights into the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, revealing that the assailant, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, had meticulously planned the attack.
According to a briefing on August 28, 2024, Crooks conducted extensive online research over the past five years, focusing on both Donald Trump and President Joe Biden’s events. His investigation into explosives and his targeting of the July campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was characterized as a “target of opportunity,” said Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office.
Despite nearly 1,000 interviews conducted, investigators have yet to pinpoint Crooks’ exact motive. The FBI’s analysis of his online activity reveals a detailed effort to plan an attack on various events, with a particular focus on the Trump rally once it was announced. Crooks’ searches included inquiries about the rally location, such as “Where will Trump speak from at Butler Farm Show?” and “Butler Farm Show podium.”
In the month leading up to the attack, Crooks performed over 60 searches related to both President Biden and former President Trump. His online activity even included a search about Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of President John F. Kennedy, suggesting a preoccupation with political violence.
FBI Director Christopher Wray previously disclosed that Crooks had searched for information on Oswald a week before the shooting. The new findings depict Crooks as a highly intelligent yet reclusive individual with a disturbing interest in explosives and violence. Despite his extensive research into both Democrats and Republicans, investigators have not yet identified a clear political motive or reason for targeting Trump specifically.
Crooks had explosive devices in his car and home, and his internet history indicates that he had been researching bomb-making techniques and remote detonators since at least 2019. During the attack, Crooks fired eight shots from an AR-style rifle, injuring Trump and killing one rallygoer while injuring two others. The assailant, positioned on a roof less than 150 yards away, was ultimately neutralized by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
The FBI has released images of the rifle used by Crooks, along with his backpack and improvised explosive devices found in his car. The investigation continues as authorities work to understand the full extent of Crooks’ planning and any potential connections to others.
