Crime
Thomas Matthew Crooks, who fired at Trump from a nearby rooftop before being killed by a Secret Service countersniper, reportedly did extensive research for an attack before the shooting and had looked at any number of events or targets.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, Archives
WASHINGTON (AP) — The gunman in the attempted murder of former President Donald Trump searched online for events by both Trump and President Joe Biden and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire last month as a “target of opportunity,” a senior FBI official said Wednesday.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot at Trump from a nearby rooftop before he was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper, did extensive research for an attack before the shooting and had watched a number of events or targets, including events the current and former president, said Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s field office in Pittsburgh.
The new details were revealed as FBI officials, in the latest in a series of briefings on the investigation, revealed they had yet to uncover a motive for the July 13 attack in Butler, Pennsylvania, despite conducting nearly 1,000 interviews.
“We have a clear understanding of mindset, but we’re not ready to make any definitive statements about motive at this time,” Rojek said.
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