- By Shivangi Sharma
- Thu, 29 Aug 2024 12:47 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The FBI on Wednesday disclosed new details from their investigation into the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally. The FBI revealed that the shooter had engaged in "detailed attack planning" well before the rally, with his search history indicating that he might have been planning a violent attack for a significant period of time.
According to the FBI, the gunman who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump had conducted a "sustained, detailed effort" to attack a major event before ultimately deciding to target the Republican presidential candidate at a Pennsylvania rally in July, according to FBI officials on Wednesday, as reported by Reuters.
The FBI revealed that Thomas Crooks, 20, had searched for information about the Republican candidate and his then-rival, Democratic President Joe Biden, more than 60 times before registering for the Trump rally earlier that month.
"We saw ... a sustained, detailed effort to plan an attack on some events, meaning he looked at any number of events or targets," Kevin Rojek, the FBI's top official in western Pennsylvania, said.
FBI officials further stated that Thomas Crooks’s online activities reflected a “mixture of ideologies”, and they are continuing to investigate his online presence. According to Rojek, “We see no definitive ideology associated with our subject, either left-leaning or right-leaning.”
The FBI also released the photo of the gun and the improvised explosives found in his car.
Crooks was a registered Republican but had donated USD 15 to the liberal campaign group ActBlue in 2021. Officials also noted that some anti-Semitic comments found online were linked to accounts associated with Crooks, and they are working to determine whether he was responsible for them.
Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service at the time of the shooting, resigned from her position last month after facing intense pressure from lawmakers. Ronald Rowe has since been appointed as the acting director. Additionally, at least five Secret Service agents have been placed on administrative leave following the security lapse.