FBI Says It Has ‘Clear Idea’ Of Trump Shooter’s Mindset, But No ‘Definitive Motive’

A senior FBI official said on Wednesday that the FBI has a “clear idea” of the mindset of the 20-year-old man who shot Donald Trump, but added that a motive for Thomas Matthew Crooks targeting the former president at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, remains unknown.

Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said in a media call on Wednesday that Crooks searched online for both Trump and Joe Biden events but saw the Trump Butler rally as a “target of opportunity,” the Associated Press reported.

Scripps News national correspondent Elizabeth Landers reported that the FBI’s media call revealed no new information about what ideology might have influenced Crooks, and the FBI said there is no evidence of a co-conspirator or foreign involvement.

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The FBI also released an image of the gun used by Crooks to fire at Trump.

The @fbi has released some images on their website related to the assassination attempt against former President Trump – here is an image of the weapon that the shooter used. pic.twitter.com/wLFUGuwgdc

— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) August 28, 2024

During the media call, the FBI added that it had conducted nearly 1,000 interviews, served search warrants, and viewed hundreds of hours of video footage as it investigates the assassination attempt of a former president, ABC News reported.

The Department of Justice still has not answered how the Secret Service did not stop Crooks from setting himself up on a roof just 130 yards away from Trump during the Butler rally. Crooks was killed by Secret Service counter-snipers after firing eight shots at Trump, one of which struck the former president’s right ear. The gunfire killed rallygoer Corey Comperatore, and attendees James Copenhaver and David Dutch were both shot and seriously injured.

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A SWAT counter-sniper who was at the Trump rally in Butler said on Tuesday that it was “odd” that the FBI cleaned the roof that Crooks climbed on to shoot at Trump, potentially destroying evidence. He also agreed that it was “odd” that Crooks’ body was cremated before the coroner examined it.