Research into the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, drone flight over the site, remotely activated explosive devices: the FBI chief gave more details on Wednesday on the progress of the investigation into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and the profile of its perpetrator.
“We don’t have a clear idea of his motivations yet,” FBI chief Christopher Wray said in an interview with the congressional inquiry. “We’re continuing to dig into it because it’s still a central issue for us.”
Standing on a rooftop overlooking the rally in Butler, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire on the Republican candidate shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday, July 13, lightly wounding him in the ear. Crooks said he was “hit by a bullet that pierced the top of his head.” [son] right ear”.
“With former President Trump, there is some question as to whether it was a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,” Wray said.
The shooting resulted in the death of a participant in his fifties and injured two other people.
The shooter, who was killed by Trump’s security detail, had “conducted extensive searches on a variety of individuals” without a specific target being identified, but “beginning on July 6, he focused more specifically on former President Trump and his rally,” Wray added.
Among the searches carried out, the shooter asked the Google search engine “how far away was it?” [Lee Harvey] Oswald was from [John F.] Kennedy”, referring to the alleged perpetrator of the assassination of the American president in 1963.
Eight sockets
At this time, the FBI has no evidence to suggest that Mr. Crooks had accomplices or that he acted alone.
However, the shooter is said to have scouted out the area a little over two hours before the start of the rally using a drone which was found in his vehicle.
According to the FBI, Thomas Crooks also visited the rally site at least three times, including twice on the day itself, before the event took place.
The searches carried out at his home also revealed in another vehicle two explosive devices, “rather basic” and remotely activated, the detonator of which had been found on the shooter’s body.
“It would appear that if he had tried to detonate these devices from the roof, it would not have worked. But that does not mean that these devices were not dangerous,” Wray insisted.
Asked how many shots were fired, the FBI director said eight shell casings were found on the roof.
Thomas Crooks had purchased 50 rounds of ammunition on the day of the assassination attempt and had visited a shooting range the day before, Wray said.
The reaction of the Secret Service, responsible for protecting senior American political figures, was strongly criticized after spectators reported to the authorities, shortly before the shooting, the presence of an armed man.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle announced her resignation Tuesday after admitting to a congressional inquiry that her agency failed to prevent the assassination attempt.