FBI reveals details of Thomas Crooks' diligent planning to assassinate Trump

On Wednesday, the FBI revealed new key information about the failed attack on Donald Trump during his campaign rally last July 13. While authorities have not yet identified a clear motive for the attack, they confirmed that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old suspect, had carried out meticulous planning before the incident.

At a press conference,Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI's Pittsburgh Field Office, explained that Crooks conducted more than 60 internet searches related to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in the month leading up to the attack.

Crooks had "a sustained detailed effort to plan an attack on some event, meaning he looked at any number of events or targets," Rojek said. Among Crooks' searches included troubling questions such as "How far was Oswald from Kennedy?" and logistical details of the event, such as "Where will Trump speak from at Butler Farm Show?"

Actions during the rally and use of a drone

On the day of the rally, Crooks was spotted in the vicinity of the event, walking near the perimeter and next to a line of vendors about an hour and a half before Trump began his speech. Video footage captured him scaling the American Glass Research (AGR) building, where he apparently planned to carry out the attack.

"Our overall finding is the subject was only on the roof for approximately six minutes prior to the shooting. Between 6:05 and 6:11 p.m.," Rojek said, refuting rumors that there was a second shooter.

Rojek also revealed that Crooks flew a drone over the rally area for 11 minutes, between 3:51 p.m. and 4:02 p.m., possibly to assess security measures. The drone's flight path show that it "would have been helpful for our subject to assess the security posture at the event," he said.

Disclosure of evidence: weapons and explosives

At the same conference, the FBI released the first images of the firearm used by Crooks, as well as of the improvised explosive devices found in the trunk of his car.

Ongoing investigation

Despite the details made public, Rojek concluded that many unanswered questions remain about Crooks' true intentions and motivations. The investigation remains ongoing, with the goal of clarifying all aspects of this incident and any possible connections that may exist.