WASHINGTON — The suspect involved in the failed assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump meticulously researched power plants, mass shootings, and high-profile assassination cases, including the recent attack on Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, according to FBI officials on Monday. These findings come amid ongoing investigations using data extracted from the assailant’s digital devices.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, whose interest in violent tactics had significantly spiked prior to the incident, was the subject of the FBI’s detail release. The investigation has been scouring through Crooks’s cellphones, laptops, and other electronics to piece together the puzzle of his motives, which remain largely unclear.
Trump is set to provide his account of the event during an interview with FBI investigators, slated for July 13 at a campaign rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania. “Gaining the perspective of Mr. Trump regarding his observations during the incident is a routine procedure in victim interviews,” stated Kevin Rojek, head of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, which is managing the inquiry.
On the day of the rally, Crooks used a rooftop just outside the designated security perimeter to open fire on the crowd, launching at least eight shots. The attack resulted in one fatality and left two critically injured, including Trump, who sustained a minor wound. Crooks was neutralized by a Secret Service sniper during the event.
Further details from the investigation reveal that Crooks had used aliases and encrypted accounts to acquire firearm supplies and materials intended for creating explosive devices. Although two such devices were discovered in his car at the rally site, officials confirmed they were inactive.
Over 450 interviews have been conducted thus far, extending to Crooks’s parents, who reportedly had no prior knowledge of his intentions. Authorities highlighted that Crooks made significant efforts to hide his activities from his family, who have been cooperative with the federal investigation.
Security protocols are now under scrutiny, paralleled by congressional and federal inquiries into potential lapses that allowed the gunman access to his vantage point. A bipartisan task force, equipped with subpoena power, has been commissioned to lead the investigations concerning the security framework at the rally.
During his preparation, Crooks maneuvered across various roofs after ascending from heating and cooling platforms. This meticulous positioning facilitated the unforeseen attack that followed.
His day had begun at the rally site around 11 a.m. He briefly surveyed the location and returned home, only to come back under the pretense of visiting a shooting range. Instead, Crooks deployed a drone to further inspect the site; however, the lack of a memory card in the drone left no retrievable data for investigators.
The sequence of events continues to be pieced together as officials thoroughly comb through more of Crooks’s communications and online activities to ascertain a clear motive and determine any possible affiliations with accomplices.
Described by officials as highly intelligent, Crooks, a college attendee and stable employee, had a limited social circle mostly confined to his immediate family. His interest in firearms, established over many years, only recently evolved into formal shooting training.
The family’s existing cache of over a dozen firearms became a focal point in understanding Crooks’s access to weaponry. His father had legally transferred the gun used in the shooting to Crooks last year, a factor now integral to the ongoing investigations.
As the case develops, new insights from law enforcement officers on the day of the attack revealed heightened sensitivity to Crooks’s suspicious behavior hours before the incident, underscoring the challenges and complexities involved in maintaining high-profile event security.