FBI: Trump Gunman Acted Alone; Motive Still Unclear

U.S. authorities have confirmed that Thomas Crooks, the man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, acted alone and without any foreign involvement. However, FBI officials, during a news briefing on Wednesday, emphasized that Crooks’s motive remains unknown. They described the 20-year-old assailant as having a “mixture of ideologies” and revealed details of his search history, including his interest in both Trump and President Joe Biden’s campaign events.

On July 13, Crooks attempted to shoot Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the former president’s ear. The attack resulted in the death of one person and left two others seriously injured. Kevin Rojek, head of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office, disclosed that Crooks had begun searching online for Trump campaign events as early as September 2023, targeting both Trump and Biden events, and even seeking information on the Republican and Democratic national conventions.

As the Trump rally in Butler was announced, Crooks became fixated on it, registering for the event a week in advance. His search history showed an eerie fascination with historical assassinations, including how far Lee Harvey Oswald was from John F. Kennedy when he shot the president in 1963. Additionally, Crooks sought out bomb-making instructions and ingredients, further indicating his intent to carry out a detailed attack.

Despite this extensive planning, the FBI remains unsure of Crooks’s exact motivations, leaving questions unanswered as the investigation continues.