The FBI on Wednesday released more details about the attempted assassination of Trump by suspected assassin Thomas Crooks that left one man dead before and during the July 13 rally.
The FBI has not released a specific motive for the shooter or any co-conspirators who had advance knowledge of the attack, but Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, told reporters at a news conference that Crooks “engaged in a sustained, meticulous effort to plan an attack against any event, which means he was considering multiple events and targets.”
The 20-year-old shooter was “unusually focused” on a Trump rally in Butler after it was announced in early July, Rojek said, adding that the gunman had no particular political ideology.
In the month leading up to the attack, Crooks made more than 60 searches related to both President Biden and former President Trump. In late September 2023, an account linked to Crooks “searched for the former president's campaign schedule and upcoming speeches in Pennsylvania,” Rojek said.
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A photo shows the air conditioning unit that Thomas Crooks used to get onto the roof before the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI))
“Then, from April 2024 through July 12, 2024, the subject searched for campaign information for former President Trump and President Biden, including specifically an event scheduled to take place in Western Pennsylvania on July 4, 2024. On July 9, the subject searched for 'ballistic calculator,'” Rojek said.
On July 6, he searched for specific details about Trump's event at Butler.
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Evidence photos show Thomas Crooks' semi-automatic rifle and backpack that appear to have been carried after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI))
“The suspect registered to attend the rally and later that day specifically searched for 'How far was Oswald from Kennedy?', 'Where will Trump speak at the Butler Farm Show?', 'Butler Farm Show podium' and 'Butler Farm Show photos,'” Rojek further explained. “On July 8th, the suspect searched for 'AGR International.' On July 10th, he searched for 'Butler weather,' and in the 30 days prior to the attack, the suspect performed over 60 searches related to President Biden and former President Trump.”
He also noted that “specific searches were made on July 5th, such as 'When is the Democratic National Convention?' and 'When is the 2024 Republican National Convention?'”
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Photo evidence shows two explosives found in the trunk of suspect Thomas Crooks' car during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI))
The FBI confirmed that Crooks was seen walking near a row of vendors outside the rally's perimeter at 4:26 p.m. on July 13, about an hour and a half before Trump was set to speak.
Video footage taken by a local business showed Crooks climbing onto the American Glass Research building and traversing multiple rooftops between 6:05am and 6:08am.
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““Our overall findings are that the suspect was only on the roof for approximately six minutes prior to the shooting, which occurred between 6:05 and 6:11 p.m., when he was neutralized,” Rojek said, later denying rumors that there was a second shooter.
On the day of the rally, Crooks flew the drone for 11 minutes, Rojek told Fox News Digital that the incidents occurred at 3:51 p.m. and 4:02 p.m.
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Based on FBI observations of the drone's flight path, the drone “would have been useful to the subject in assessing the security presence at the incident scene,” the special agent said.
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“However, we cannot determine the exact motives of the subject in flying the drone,” Rojek added, “and can only make a judgment based on the flight path assessment and what we find in the laboratory analysis.”
