The FBI has released new details about the shooter who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump on 13 July.
Thomas Crooks was shot and killed after he opened fire at a campaign rally. One of his bullets hit Trump’s right ear.
This week, investigators revealed the 20-year-old had looked up details about the 1963 assassination of JFK online, in the lead-up to the incident.
The finding is part of a raft of new evidence presented to U.S. lawmakers by the country’s domestic intelligence agency.
Here’s what else we know.
Investigation
Crooks shot Trump in the right ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania earlier this month.
One man in the crowd was killed and at least two others were injured. Crooks was shot dead at the scene.
The FBI launched an investigation into the attempted assassination of the former President and shared its new evidence this week.
The shooter’s motives remain unclear. However, investigators said Crooks was likely socially isolated and acted alone.
IT specialists searched Crooks’ phone, laptop and digital devices.
FBI Director Christopher Wray told U.S. lawmakers that investigators faced a “significant technical challenge” because the shooter had been using encrypted messaging apps (e.g. Telegram, Signal).
However, Wray said a search of the shooter’s internet browsing history did lead investigators to some new evidence.
Search history
On 6 July, one week before the shooting, Crooks searched “how far away was Oswald from Kennedy”.
This refers to Lee Harvey Oswald, who shot and killed U.S. President John F. Kennedy at a Texas street parade in 1963.
Crooks registered to attend the Trump rally on the same day he looked up JFK’s assassination.
Wray said Crooks’ search history revealed “significant” insight into his “state of mind“.
Isolated
Wray also said many who knew Crooks described him as a “loner”, and confirmed he didn’t have many interactions with people online and in real life.
He said Crooks didn’t have a “long list of contacts” on his phone “compared to what you would normally see from most people”.
Based on the evidence obtained so far, FBI officials have concluded Crooks didn’t have any accomplices.
Next steps
Crooks had no criminal history and his political ideology remains unclear.
“He was interested in public figures more broadly,” Wray said, noting Crooks took a keen interest in Trump in the week leading up to the rally.
Authorities also found 14 guns at Crooks’ family’s home, which belonged to him and his relatives.
The FBI is continuing its investigations, including interviews with the shooters’ relatives, associates, coworkers, and classmates.
