The FBI on Wednesday released photographs of the weapon used in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and noted that in the previous 30 days the attacker sought information about both him and the current president, Democrat Joe Biden.
The attack took place on July 13 during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the man, who ended up being shot down by law enforcement, had been looking for details about that event since the beginning of the month, from where the New York magnate was going to be located to the weather.
In a call with the press, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) added that during the month before launching the action, it carried out more than 60 searches on Biden and Trump. In one of them, on July 5, information was provided on where the Democratic and Republican national conventions were going to take place.
Trump was wounded in the ear, but one person in the audience died and two others were injured.
The FBI said it is still working to determine the motives behind 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks' attempt to kill the former president, and also to see if he acted alone or with accomplices. At the moment, the organization said, there is no evidence that he conspired with others or a definitive conclusion about his motives.
Its searches for Trump and Biden actually date back to the end of September 2023. That month it looked for where Trump events were going to take place in Pennsylvania, while from April of this year until July 12 it continued to find out about campaign events for both him and Biden. The latter dropped out of his re-election race on July 21.
The FBI released a photo of the A-15 rifle with which Crooks attacked from the roof of a compound that was outside the rally area and also showed the backpack recovered on the ground.
He also posted a photo of two homemade explosive devices found in the trunk of his truck, which he said had manufacturing problems.
The attacker had been searching the internet for explosive devices since September 2019 and continued to gather information about them throughout the summer. In one of them, he searched for how to detonate them remotely.
The FBI detailed that he used encrypted email accounts, but that this level of protection was no more sophisticated than any standard electronic messaging service.
The autopsy performed after he was shot by law enforcement states that he died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head and that the toxicology test was negative for alcohol and drug abuse.
He was declared dead at 6:25 p.m. local time and two hours earlier there were witnesses who reported having seen him in the area. He was on the roof from which he acted for approximately six minutes, between 6:05 and 6:11 p.m., when he fired eight shots before being neutralized.
The FBI took advantage of the call to thank Trump for his collaboration in the interrogation that was carried out after what happened, a practice that is common in these cases. The former president left the scene with his fist raised, leaving behind an already iconic image.
The attack took place on July 13 during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the man, who ended up being shot down by law enforcement, had been looking for details about that event since the beginning of the month, from where the New York magnate was going to be located to the weather.
In a call with the press, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) added that during the month before launching the action, it carried out more than 60 searches on Biden and Trump. In one of them, on July 5, information was provided on where the Democratic and Republican national conventions were going to take place.
Trump was wounded in the ear, but one person in the audience died and two others were injured.
The FBI said it is still working to determine the motives behind 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks' attempt to kill the former president, and also to see if he acted alone or with accomplices. At the moment, the organization said, there is no evidence that he conspired with others or a definitive conclusion about his motives.
Its searches for Trump and Biden actually date back to the end of September 2023. That month it looked for where Trump events were going to take place in Pennsylvania, while from April of this year until July 12 it continued to find out about campaign events for both him and Biden. The latter dropped out of his re-election race on July 21.
The FBI released a photo of the A-15 rifle with which Crooks attacked from the roof of a compound that was outside the rally area and also showed the backpack recovered on the ground.
He also posted a photo of two homemade explosive devices found in the trunk of his truck, which he said had manufacturing problems.
The attacker had been searching the internet for explosive devices since September 2019 and continued to gather information about them throughout the summer. In one of them, he searched for how to detonate them remotely.
The FBI detailed that he used encrypted email accounts, but that this level of protection was no more sophisticated than any standard electronic messaging service.
The autopsy performed after he was shot by law enforcement states that he died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head and that the toxicology test was negative for alcohol and drug abuse.
He was declared dead at 6:25 p.m. local time and two hours earlier there were witnesses who reported having seen him in the area. He was on the roof from which he acted for approximately six minutes, between 6:05 and 6:11 p.m., when he fired eight shots before being neutralized.
The FBI took advantage of the call to thank Trump for his collaboration in the interrogation that was carried out after what happened, a practice that is common in these cases. The former president left the scene with his fist raised, leaving behind an already iconic image.