FBI releases new photos and details of Trump assassination investigation, finding shooter had “an ideological mix”

Washington — The FBI released four new photos on Wednesday from its investigation into the attempted murder of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, as well as new information about what the office learned about the shooter.

The FBI's investigation into the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, is ongoing. The FBI said it has still not found a motive or evidence that the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was working with others.

Kevin Rojek, head of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, told reporters during a briefing that investigators “believe [Crooks] is busy planning the attack in detail.”

Rojek said Crooks was “hyper-focused” on Trump's campaign rally in Butler after it was announced, and the FBI determined the shooter was associated with a “mixture of ideologies.” Crooks was shot by a Secret Service sniper after firing eight shots. Trump was injured when he was shot in the ear, and two rally participants were injured. One person was killed in the shooting.

“When this event, the Trump rally, was announced in early July, he was hyper-focused on this specific event and viewed it as a target of opportunity,” Rojek said.

Starting in late September 2023, an online account linked to Crooks was used to search for scheduled Trump campaign events in Pennsylvania, Rojek said. From April 2024 through July 12, the shooter searched for information about campaign events for both Trump and President Biden. After the Trump rally in Butler was announced, he searched for details about that venue, including “Butler Farm Show Podium,” Rojek said.

About a month before the attack, the gunman searched for topics related to Trump and Biden, including the dates of the Democratic and Republican party conventions.

As early as 2019, accounts linked to Crooks were searching for explosives, including “detonating cord,” “how to make a bomb out of fertilizer” and “how remote detonators work,” Rojek said.

FBI officials have identified some anti-Semitic comments online that are linked to an account associated with Crooks, and they are working to determine whether he posted those comments himself, Rojek said.

The FBI not only provided details about Crooks' actions leading up to the attack, but also about what happened during the shooting. Rojek said Crooks was on the roof of the AGR building for six minutes before opening fire. He reiterated that the gunman fired eight shots and said police fired two of them: one bullet from the Secret Service sniper and one from a local officer.

Rojek said there was no evidence that Crooks was hit by the local police officer's bullet and that no second shooter shot Trump.

As part of the investigation into the attack, the FBI spoke with Trump and said his interview was “productive.” Investigators also sought information from Crooks' parents, who were “extremely cooperative,” according to Rojek.

The new FBI photos

The new details match recently released photos showing some of the evidence the FBI collected during its investigation.

The first photo shows Crooks' rifle, which was found at the crime scene. The weapon was a DPMS Panther Arms AR-style rifle and had an extendable buttstock and a rail-mounted optical sight, the FBI said.

The second FBI photo shows Crooks' disassembled rifle, pictured next to a backpack he was carrying at the site of Trump's rally. FBI Director Chris Wray told members of the House of Representatives Last month, Crooks said his gun had a folding stock, which might explain why rally attendees did not see him carrying it.

Wray said the first people at the rally to see Crooks with a gun observed him as he was on the roof of the AGR building and opened fire.

The third photo released by the FBI was taken by Allegheny County police and shows two improvised explosive devices discovered in the trunk of Crooks' car.

The FBI said the receiver that allowed the crooks to remotely detonate the bombs was turned off and the “bombs had several design issues.”

Wray testified before Congress that the FBI had seized a total of three “relatively primitive” devices: two from Crooks' vehicle and one from his apartment.

The fourth and final photo provided by the FBI is a picture of the air conditioning unit that officials say the crooks used to get to the roof of the AGR building. The photo is not evidence, but was taken during a tour of the rally site in the days following the attack, according to the FBI.

The FBI said the crooks climbed onto the white unit on the far right of the picture.