Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who opened fire on former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, had searched online for details about the November 1963 shooting of former US President John F Kennedy in the days leading up to the attack, FBI director Christopher Wray revealed Wednesday.
Wray, testifying before a congressional committee, said Crooks flew a drone over the venue in Butler, Pennsylvania, about two hours before Donald Trump took the stage on July 13.
Investigators have not established a motive for the shooting. Wray said, “We are digging hard because this is one of the central questions for us.” He added that Crooks “appears to have done a lot of searches of public figures, in general” but found no clear pattern to his research.
“Starting somewhere around July 6 or so, he became very focused on former President Trump and this rally,” the FBI chief said. Crooks registered to attend the campaign event in Butler on July 6 and conducted a Google search for “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?” referencing Kennedy’s assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald. “That obviously is significant in terms of his state of mind,” Wray said.
Trump survived the assassination attempt, suffering a wound to his right ear. A Secret Service sniper shot dead the suspected gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, less than 30 seconds after he fired eight shots. “With respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that, you know, that hit his ear,” Wray said.
Two rally attendees were seriously injured, and a 50-year-old Pennsylvania firefighter was shot dead.
The FBI director said that no evidence has emerged so far indicating Crooks had any accomplices or co-conspirators, describing him as a “loner.”
Wray, testifying before a congressional committee, said Crooks flew a drone over the venue in Butler, Pennsylvania, about two hours before Donald Trump took the stage on July 13.
Investigators have not established a motive for the shooting. Wray said, “We are digging hard because this is one of the central questions for us.” He added that Crooks “appears to have done a lot of searches of public figures, in general” but found no clear pattern to his research.
“Starting somewhere around July 6 or so, he became very focused on former President Trump and this rally,” the FBI chief said. Crooks registered to attend the campaign event in Butler on July 6 and conducted a Google search for “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?” referencing Kennedy’s assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald. “That obviously is significant in terms of his state of mind,” Wray said.
Trump survived the assassination attempt, suffering a wound to his right ear. A Secret Service sniper shot dead the suspected gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, less than 30 seconds after he fired eight shots. “With respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that, you know, that hit his ear,” Wray said.
Two rally attendees were seriously injured, and a 50-year-old Pennsylvania firefighter was shot dead.
The FBI director said that no evidence has emerged so far indicating Crooks had any accomplices or co-conspirators, describing him as a “loner.”