The FBI has provided new details regarding its investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, according to a report by USA Today on Wednesday. The update came during a conference call briefing with the bureau.
The FBI’s analysis of Thomas Crooks’ online search history revealed that he had engaged in “detailed attack planning” long before the rally in Butler, PA, where Trump was shot. Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, stated that while the investigation offered “valuable insight into [Crooks’] mindset,” it did not uncover a clear motive.
Rojek informed reporters that Crooks had been searching online for campaign events for both Trump and Biden. Additionally, Crooks had researched explosive devices, searching for terms such as “detonating cord,” “blasting cap,” “how to make a bomb from fertilizer,” and “how do remote detonators work.” These searches began as early as September 2019. Crooks also looked into ammonium nitrate, nitromethane, and other materials commonly used in making explosive devices.
The FBI released the first images of the semi-automatic DPMS DR-15 rifle used by Crooks in the shooting, along with a black backpack with orange and white accents that was recovered at the scene. One of the captions stated, “Thomas Crooks’ rifle broken down as was likely done for transport and the backpack recovered onsite.”
Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI’s national security branch, confirmed during the conference call that the FBI has yet to determine a motive for the shooting and has found no evidence of co-conspirators involved in the assassination attempt.
“I want to be clear, we have not seen any indication to suggest Crooks was directed by a foreign entity to conduct the attack,” Wells emphasized.
Although Crooks failed to land a fatal shot on Trump, only grazing the GOP nominee’s ear, the incident resulted in casualties. Corey Comperatore was killed as he shielded his wife and daughters from the gunfire, while two other men were severely wounded but survived.