THE gunman who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during a campaign rally considered targeting the Democratic and Republican National Conventions before zeroing in on the former president.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, conducted extensive research on the DNC, RNC, and events of President Joe Biden before “hyper-focusing” on Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the FBI disclosed on Wednesday.
6
6
6
6
6
Crooks searched for details about future campaign stops by Trump and Biden, who at the time was still the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate.
Federal officials described Crooks’ analysis as a “sustained, detailed effort to plan an attack,” FBI special agent Kevin Rojek said.
The deranged gunman eventually settled on Trump’s Butler rally and “hyper-focused” on it.
Rojek said the attempted assassination of Trump appears to have been a “target of opportunity.”
Read more in The U.S. Sun
A motive has still not been determined.
The FBI reiterated that there is still no evidence that suggests a foreign enemy directed Crooks to commit the attack.
“I would say that we see no definitive ideology associated with our subject, either left-leaning or right-leaning,” Rojek said.
“It’s really been a mixture of something we’re still attempting to analyze and draw conclusions on.”
In their update, the FBI released photos of the assault rifle Crooks used in the shooting, the backpack he likely used to transport the weapon, and two improvised explosive devices investigators uncovered in the trunk of his car.
6
This comes as…
FBI update on Trump rally shooting
The gunman who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump considered attacking multiple political events, the FBI said in an update. Here are the key new pieces of information released on August 28.
- Thomas Crooks, 20, researched events for Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president at the time
- He also looked into the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention
- Crooks appears to have chosen Trump’s rally as a “target of opportunity”
- A review of his online accounts showed a “mix of ideologies,” with the FBI stating, “We see no definitive ideology associated with our subject, either left-leaning or right-leaning”
- After 1,000 FBI interviews, his motive is still unclear
- His family has been extremely cooperative
More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.
Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
