The FBI reported on Wednesday (28) that the assassination attempt against former president and Republican candidate for president of the United States, Donald Trump, was probably a result of the fact that the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, saw a “target of opportunity” at the rally held in Butler, Pennsylvania.
According to NBC News, during a press conference, FBI officials said that Crooks had researched online about the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention, held later in Milwaukee and Chicago, respectively, and sought information about both Trump’s campaign events and President Joe Biden’s, who at the time was still the Democratic candidate for the White House (he was later replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris).
Special Agent Kevin Rojek said at the briefing that Crooks engaged in a “sustained and detailed effort to plan an attack” and “analyzed multiple events and targets” before deciding to “hyper-focus” on the July 13 Trump rally, which he likely viewed as a “target of opportunity,” the investigator said. The attacker lived in Bethel Park, about an hour’s drive from Butler.
Rojek said investigators found a “mix of ideologies” in Crooks’ online content but were unable to identify any predominant strand. Shortly after the attack, U.S. media reported that the shooter was a Republican but had donated to a progressive political committee in 2021.
“I would say we don’t see any definitive ideology associated with the person being investigated, whether it’s left or right wing. It was really a mix and something we’re still trying to analyze and draw conclusions from,” the special agent said.
FBI Assistant Director Bobby Wells said at the press conference that there is currently no indication “to suggest that Crooks was directed by a foreign entity to carry out the attack.” The attacker’s motive remains unknown.
In the attack, Trump and two others were injured and one man was killed. Crooks was killed at the scene shortly after firing the first shots. The director of the United States Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned from her position due to the security failures at the rally.
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