Featured Image Credit: Bethel Park School District/FBI
Topics: Donald Trump, News, US News
Yasmeen Hamadeh
Topics: Donald Trump, News, US News
The FBI has released new information regarding the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump last month.
During a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, a shooter, who was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire onto the crowd that resulted in two attendees getting injured, one killed, and Trump getting wounded after being shot in the ear. After shooting eight bullets, Crooks was then shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.
The FBI's investigation into the assassination attempt is still ongoing, yet the bureau has confirmed that they have yet to identify a motive for Crooks or evidence that he was working with others.
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During a briefing, head of the FBI's Pittsburgh field office Kevin Rojek told reporters that they 'believe [Crooks] engaged in detailed attack planning' and became 'hyper-focused' on Trump's campaign rally in Butler. The FBI also found a 'mixture of ideologies' associated with the shooter.
"When this event was announced, the Trump rally was announced, early in July, he became hyper-focused on that specific event and looked at it as a target of opportunity," Rojek explained.
The FBI also discovered that in September 2023, an online account tied to Crooks began searching for Trump campaign events held in Pennsylvania. Moreover, Rojek shared that between April 2024 to July 12, Crooks searched for information on campaign events for both Trump and President Joe Biden including the dates for the Democratic and Republican conventions.
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Rojek also said that they found accounts tied to Crooks searching for explosive devices as far back as 2019, including the search terms 'detonating cord,' 'how to make a bomb from fertilizer,' and 'how do remote detonators work.'
The FBI disclosed details on what happened during the shooting, explaining that Crooks was on the roof of the AGR building for six minutes and that he fired eight shots before law enforcement fired two — one from the Secret Service sniper and one from a local officer.
In addition to all this new information, the FBI released four photos of Crooks' rifle and items found in the trunk of his car.
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The first photo released by the FBI shows Crooks' gun, an AR-style rifle made by DPMS Panther arms, that was recovered from the shooting site.
The second photo shows Crooks' disassembled rifle, along with the backpack he wore during the Butler rally.
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The third photo shared by the FBI was taken by the Allegheny County Police Department and shows two improvised explosive devices. In the description of the photo, the FBI wrote that the receiver for remote detonation was in the 'off' position and that the 'devices had several problems in the way they were constructed.'
The fourth and final photo from the FBI is an image of the air conditioning unit Crooks used to climb up to the roof of the AGR building. The bureau noted that it is not an evidence photo and was taken during a tour of the rally site in the days following the assassination attempt.
As part of its ongoing investigation into the attack, the FBI has spoken with Trump and described its interview with him as 'productive.'
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Rojek also said that Crooks' parents have been 'extremely cooperative' as investigations continue.