FBI releases images of shooter’s weapon, details of explosive devices he was carrying

The US Federal Police released several photos on its website on Wednesday, relating to the investigation into the attempted assassination of the Republican candidate for the White House. They show in particular the assault rifle used by the shooter.

In the United States, the FBI is continuing its investigation into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump that took place on July 13. The American federal police published four photos of the gunman’s artillery on Wednesday, August 28. During a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Republican candidate for the American presidency was targeted by gunfire and injured in the ear. Pinned to the ground by security agents, Donald Trump got up, his face bloodied and his hair disheveled. The 78-year-old former American president raised his fist towards the crowd before being escorted to a vehicle.

The images published on the FBI website include the semi-automatic rifle found at the shooting site. It is an AR-15 model, which is very common in the United States. This assault rifle had been “purchased legally”he had been “acquired by the father” of the assailant, the police said. However, the American federal police are unable to say whether the father gave the weapon to his son or whether the shooter took it without his knowledge.

Also pictured is a backpack that was used to carry the weapon. The FBI also released a photo taken by Allegheny County police, inside the trunk of the shooter’s vehicle. There are two explosive devices. “improvised” with “construction problems” according to the FBI. It specifies that the detonator of these explosives “rather basic”and remotely activated, was found in the “off” position on the body of the assailant who was killed during the shooting. In the same trunk, a drone and a guidance controller were also found. They had been used to scout the scene two hours before the start of the event, the FBI had already confirmed on July 24.

The US federal police had already announced that they had found eight shell casings on the roof where the shooter, a 20-year-old man, Thomas Matthew Crooks, from Pennsylvania, was located. On the day of the assassination attempt, he bought 50 cartridges and the day before, he had gone to a shooting range. The FBI also discovered that he had done online research on mass shootings, explosive devices and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

After shooting “several shots fired towards the scene”Thomas Matthew Crooks was “neutralized” by the snipers of the Secret Service, the elite service responsible for protecting high-ranking American figures. He was identified by the FBI the day after the assassination attempt. The first elements of the investigation seem to confirm that he acted alone. Nothing seems, for the moment, to link him to a particular ideology. His political preferences are also not very clear. He was registered as a Republican voter but he donated in 2021 to a political group close to the Democratic movement.