Washington — The FBI released four new photos on Wednesday revealing its findings. Assassination attempt Former President Donald Trump’s speech at a rally in Pennsylvania was also released, along with new information the FBI has about the shooter.
The FBI continues to investigate the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, and says there is no motive or evidence that the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, had an accomplice.
Kevin Rozek, FBI Pittsburgh field office director, said in a briefing that investigators “believe (the scammers) had a detailed plan of attack.”
Rojek said Crooks was “focused” on Trump’s Butler campaign announcement and that the FBI found a “mix of ideologies” associated with the gunman. Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper after firing eight shots. Trump was wounded by a bullet in the ear. 2 rally attendees Got injured. 1 person died. Filming in progress.
“When this event was announced, when the Trump rally was announced in early July, he was hyper-focused on that particular event and saw it as a target of opportunity,” Rojek said.
Rojek said that starting in late September 2023, online accounts associated with Crooks were used to search for upcoming Trump campaign events in Pennsylvania. From April 2024 through July 12, 2024, the gunman searched for information about campaign events for Trump and Biden. When a Trump rally was announced in Butler, Rojek said, he searched for specific information about the location, including “Butler Farm Show Podium.”
Google Earth/CBS News
The perpetrator searched for topics related to Trump and Biden about a month before the attack, including the dates of the Democratic and Republican national conventions.
Rojek said he searched accounts associated with Crooks in early 2019 for explosive devices, including “detonation codes,” “how to make a bomb out of fertilizer,” and “how a remote detonator works.”
According to Rojek, FBI officials have noticed some anti-Semitic comments online linked to accounts linked to Crooks, and are trying to determine whether Crooks himself posted them.
In addition to providing information about Crooks’ actions leading up to the attack, the FBI provided details about what happened during the shooting. Rojek said Crooks was on the roof of the AGR building for six minutes before opening fire. He reiterated that the gunman fired eight shots, and that law enforcement fired two shots — one from a Secret Service sniper and one from a local police officer.
Rojek said there is no evidence Crooks was shot by local police and that there was no second shooter who fired at Trump.
The FBI interviewed Trump as part of its investigation into the attack and said the interview was “productive.” Investigators also tried to get information from Crooks’ parents, who Rojek said were “very cooperative.”
New FBI Photos
The new details match newly released photos showing some of the evidence the FBI collected during its investigation.
The first photo shows Crooks’ rifle, which was recovered from the shooting scene. According to the FBI, the gun was an AR-style rifle made by DPMS Panther Arms, with an extendable rear stock and an optical sight mounted on a rail.
FBI
A second FBI photo shows Crooks’ disassembled rifle along with the backpack he was wearing at the Trump rally. FBI Director Chris Wray I told the House of Representatives Last month, Crooks’ gun had a folding barrel, which he said is why rally attendees didn’t see him holding it.
Ray said that those who first saw Crooks with a gun among those attending the rally saw him climb to the roof of the AGR building and fire the gun.
FBI
A third photo released by the FBI, taken by Allegheny County police, shows two improvised explosive devices found in the trunk of Crooks’ car.
The FBI said Crooks’ remote detonation receiver was turned off and that “there were several flaws in the way the device was constructed.”
Wray testified before Congress that the FBI recovered three “relatively crude” devices: two from Crooks’ vehicle and one from his residence.
Allegheny County Sheriff’s Department/FBI
The fourth and final FBI photo is of an air conditioning unit that officials say Crooks used to access the roof of the AGR building. According to the FBI, this is not an evidence photo, but was taken during a tour of the rally site a few days after the assassination attempt.
The agency said Crooks climbed onto the white structure on the far right of the photo.
FBI
