Gunman in Trump assassination attempt saw rally as ‘target of opportunity,’ FBI official says
By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The gunman in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump searched online for events of both Trump and President Joe Biden and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire last month as a “target of opportunity,” a senior FBI official said Wednesday.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot at Trump from a nearby roof before being killed by a Secret Service countersniper, did extensive research for an attack before the shooting and had looked at any number of events or targets, including the current and former president, said Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office.
The new details were disclosed as FBI officials, in the latest in a series of briefings about the investigation, revealed that they had yet to uncover a motive for the July 13 attack in Butler, Pennsylvania, despite conducting nearly 1,000 interviews
“We have a clear idea of mindset, but we are not ready to make any conclusive statements regarding motive at this time,” Rojek said.
Related Articles
What a new indictment means for Donald Trump’s federal 2020 election interference case
Kamala Harris says she’ll cut taxes for the middle class. Is that realistic?
Walz brings the schmaltz in address at firefighters convention in Boston
Having a family is expensive. Here’s what Harris and Trump have said about easing costs
Presidential transition planning has begun in earnest, but Trump and Harris are already behind