The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released new details and pictures on Wednesday as part of the agency’s investigation into the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Following an FBI conference call briefing on Wednesday, USA Today reported that the agency’s analysis of would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks’ online search history showed that Crooks had carried out “detailed attack planning” prior to the Butler rally. Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s field office in Pittsburgh, noted that the FBI’s analysis revealed “valuable insight into his mindset, but not a definitive motive.”
Rojek told reporters that the Trump shooter had “a sustained detailed effort to plan an attack on some event, meaning he looked at any number of events or targets.” Rojek noted that while Crooks did not have an identifiable political ideology, the would-be assassin “became hyper-focused” on targeting the former president after his Butler rally was announced at the beginning of July.
Fox News reported that Rojek said an account linked to Crooks “searched the former president’s campaign schedule and upcoming appearances in Pennsylvania” in September of 2023. During the month prior to the assassination attempt, Crooks conducted over 60 online searches related to Trump and President Joe Biden.
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According to Fox News, Crooks made multiple searchers regarding the specific details of Trump’s Pennsylvania rally beginning on July 6.
“The subject registered to attend the rally, and that same day he specifically searched for, ‘How far was Oswald from Kennedy?’ ‘Where will Trump speak from at Butler Farm Show,’ ‘Butler Farm show podium,’ and ‘Butler Farm show photos,'” Rojek said. “On July 8, the subject search ‘AGR international.’ And on July 10, he searched ‘weather in Butler.'”
According to USA Today, Rojek said that the analysis of Crooks’ search history showed that from September of 2019 until the assassination attempt against the former president, Crooks searched multiple times for information regarding explosive devices, including “blasting cap,” “detonating cord,” “how do remote detonators work,” and “how to make a bomb from fertilizer.” Rojek also said the Trump shooter searched for nitrate, nitromethane, ammonium, and other materials that can be used to make explosive devices.
On Wednesday, the FBI also released photos of the semi-automatic DPMS DR-15 rifle Crooks used during the assassination attempt, including an image that showed the “rifle broken down as was likely done for transport.” The agency also released images of the Trump shooter’s black backpack, two improvised explosive devices discovered in Crooks’ car, and the air conditioning unit Crooks used to climb onto the roof of the AGR building.
