The FBI has released new photos of the gun used in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump during a July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, as well as the backpack and explosives the shooter had in his car.
The photos were released Wednesday (28) as FBI officials gave new details about Thomas Matthew Crooks’s internet searches in the days leading up to the shooting and how investigators are using the searches to piece together the day.
The photos show the firearm’s folding stock, which investigators say may have been used to conceal the rifle at the scene.
The FBI on Wednesday exposed how Trump’s suspected shooter had researched campaign events for Trump as well as President Joe Biden, but then became “hyper-focused” on the Pennsylvania rally just 40 minutes from the shooter’s home.
Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, detailed how the shooter viewed the Trump rally as a “target of opportunity.” Authorities have not yet identified a motive and said Crooks did not express “any definitive ideology.”
“We saw through our analysis of all of his — particularly his online searches — a detailed and sustained effort to plan an attack on some event, meaning he looked at any number of events or targets,” Rojek said.
“And then when this event was announced, the Trump rally was announced, in early July, he became hyper-focused on that specific event and saw it as a target of opportunity,” he added.
Those searches, Rojek said, also show the detailed searches Crooks made of the rally site, including the building where he was when he shot Trump.
On July 6, nearly a week before the rally, Crooks searched online for “where Trump will speak at the Butler Farm Show,” as well as “Butler Farm Show podium” and “Butler Farm Show photos,” Rojek said.
Two days later, Crooks searched for “AGR International,” the company that owned the buildings Crooks climbed before opening fire. On July 9, he searched for “ballistics calculator,” and the next day, he searched for “weather” and “Butler.”
FBI officials have also vehemently rejected conspiracy theories about the attack, stating categorically, for example, that there was no second shooter targeting the former president that day.
“I can confirm there was no second shooter,” Rojek told reporters.
As for Crooks’ motive, Bobby Wells, executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, said investigators have a “clearer idea of the mindset” but that “at this time, the FBI has not identified a motive, nor any co-conspirators or associates of Crooks with advanced knowledge of the attack.”
Wells also stressed that “we have seen no indication that Crooks was directed by a foreign entity.”
When asked about previous online posts that appeared political in nature from accounts associated with Crooks, Rojek said the FBI continued “to see through our analysis a mix of ideologies” from Crooks.
“I would say we don’t see any definitive ideology associated with our subject, whether it’s left or right,” he said.
Who is Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter in the attack on Trump?
This content was originally published in FBI releases photos of weapon used in attempted assassination of Trump; see on CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
