WASHINGTON (AP) — The gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump searched the internet for events surrounding Trump and President Joe Biden, repeatedly looked up information about explosives and saw last month’s Pennsylvania campaign rally where he committed a mass shooting as an “opportunity,” a senior FBI official said Wednesday.
Investigators, who conducted nearly 1,000 interviews, don’t yet know what motivated 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks to open fire on Trump during a July 13 campaign rally, but they believe Crooks developed a “thorough plan of attack” that included researching campaign activities involving both the current and former presidents, particularly in western Pennsylvania.
An FBI analysis of the suspect’s online search history revealed “a sustained, detailed effort to plan an attack against some kind of event — considering numerous events and targets,” Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, told reporters on Wednesday.
Once it was announced that a Trump rally would be held in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, “he became very focused on that particular event and saw it as an opportunity,” Rojek said. In the days leading up to the rally, Crooks searched the Internet for information about where the rally would be held, including “where will Trump speak at the Butler Farm Show,” “Butler Farm Show podium” and “Butler Farm Show photos.”
Investigators said new details added to a portrait of Crooks, who had an eerie interest in explosives, major crimes and prominent politicians, but a comprehensive internet search of major political parties failed to reveal a simple motive.
“We have a good idea of his state of mind, but we’re not ready to make any definitive statements about his motive at this point,” Rojek said.
The FBI confirmed that Trump was shot in the ear during the attack, and that Crooks, who was on the roof of a nearby building, fired eight shots before being shot dead by a Secret Service counter sniper.
“We have a good idea of his state of mind, but we’re not ready to make any definitive statements about his motive at this point,” Rojek said.
