A drone view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S. on July 14, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The gunman in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is believed to have flown a drone around the Pennsylvania rally site ahead of time in an apparent attempt to scope out the site before the event, a law enforcement official said Saturday.

The drone has been recovered by the FBI, which is leading the investigation into last Saturday’s shooting at the rally by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Crooks fired multiple rounds from the roof of a building adjacent to the Butler Farm Show grounds, where Trump was speaking, before being fatally shot by a Secret Service counter sniper. The existence of the device and its use at some point before the shooting could help explain why Crooks knew to fire from the point.

The official who described the drone was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. Details of the drone were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Trump said this week that one bullet clipped his right ear. A memo released Saturday by the Trump campaign and authored by Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, who served as the GOP nominee’s White House physician, said that Trump sustained a gunshot wound to the right ear from a high-powered rifle that came “less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear.”

One of the bullets aimed toward Trump killed 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, a spectator who was in the bleachers. Two others were seriously wounded.

The FBI is continuing to investigate what may have motivated Crooks to carry out the attack. So far, officials have not found any ideological bent that could help explain his actions.

Investigators who searched his phone found photos of Trump, President Joe Biden and other senior government officials, and also found that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Conventional as well as Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information about major depressive order.

More details about the investigation are expected to be made public in the coming week when FBI Director Chris Wray appears before the House Judiciary Committee.

Former U.S. President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Iran on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, rejected what it called “malicious” accusations by U.S. media implicating it in an attempt to kill former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Also read: From Lincoln to Trump: A long history of shootings in U.S. Presidential politics

Iran “strongly rejects any involvement in the recent armed attack against Trump,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said, while Iran’s mission to the United Nations called accusations of a previous plot to kill the former president as “unsubstantiated and malicious”.

Earlier report from AP:

A threat on Donald Trump’s life from Iran prompted additional security in the days before Saturday’s campaign rally, but it was unrelated to the assassination attempt on the Republican presidential nominee, two U.S. officials said Tuesday, as law enforcement warned of the potential for more violence inspired by the shooting.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said officials have been tracking Iranian threats against Mr. Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration. Mr. Trump ordered the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, who led the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.

Bethel Park, Pennsylvania:

The portrait pieced together so far of the 20-year-old nursing home aide who allegedly tried to assassinate Donald Trump at an election rally reveals frustratingly little about why he would make such an attempt – or how he managed to come so close to killing the former president.

The early details that have emerged about Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was shot dead by law enforcement, show a young man working an entry-level job near his hometown in Pennsylvania, where he graduated from high school in 2022 with a reputation as a bright but quiet classmate. His high school counselor described him as “respectful” and said he never knew Crooks to be political.

The FBI said on Sunday that Crooks’ social media profile does not contain threatening language, nor have they found any history of mental health issues. They said he acted alone and have not identified a motive.

What is unique about Crooks – when compared to other recent shooters who opened fire at schools, churches, malls and parades – is that he came within inches of killing a presidential candidate. 

On Saturday afternoon, Crooks slipped onto a rooftop location 140 meters from the stage where Trump was speaking in Butler, Pennsylvania. He then began firing an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, purchased by his father, officials said.

The gunfire killed a 50-year-old man, critically wounded two other spectators, and struck Trump’s ear – an assassination attempt that has further inflamed an already bitter U.S. political divide.

A resident of Bethel Park, about an hour away from where the shooting occurred, Crooks was a registered Republican who would have been eligible to cast his first presidential vote in the Nov. 5 election in which Trump is challenging President Joe Biden. Public records show his father is a registered Republican and his mother a registered Democrat, and that as a 17-year-old Crooks made a $15 donation to a Democratic Party cause.

Crooks was employed as a dietary aide at a nursing home at the time of the shooting, the home’s administrator said in a statement.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement as Thomas Matthew Crooks performed his job without concern and his background check was clean,” said Marcie Grimm, administrator of the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

NEVER KNOWN TO BE POLITICAL

Two years ago, Crooks graduated from the local high school, where he showed no particular interest in politics, according to one classmate who asked not to be identified. Crooks’ interests centered on building computers and playing games, the classmate said in an interview.

“He was super smart. That’s what really kind of threw me off was, this was, like, a really, really smart kid, like he excelled,” the classmate said. “Nothing crazy ever came up in any conversation.”

Jim Knapp, who retired from his job as the school counselor at Bethel Park High School in 2022, said Crooks had always been “quiet as a churchmouse,” “respectful” and kept to himself, although he did have a few friends.

He rarely came across Crooks because “he wasn’t a needy type kid,” Knapp said. Crooks was content to occasionally eat lunch by himself in the school cafeteria, said Knapp, who would engage such students to see if they wanted company.

“Kids weren’t calling him names, kids weren’t bullying him,” Knapp said.

Knapp said he never knew Crooks to be political in any way, even as other kids would sometimes wear Trump or Biden attire. He added that he couldn’t recall Crooks ever being disciplined in school.

“Anybody could snap, anybody could have issues,” he said. “Something triggered that young man and drove him to drive up to Butler yesterday and do what he did.”

Residents near the Crooks’ home described feeling shocked and unsettled that an assassination attempt has been linked to a person from the sedate city of 33,000 people.

“Bethel Park is a pretty blue-collar type of area, and to think that somebody was that close is a little insane,” said Wes Morgan, a 42-year-old who works at an investment management company and bikes with his children on the same street as the Crooks’ residence.

A couple standing on the porch of their nearby brick ranch-style home was left processing the events and spotlight on their neighborhood.

“There’s never been a gun issue. There’s never been the police being called,” Mary Priselac, 67, said alongside her husband. “You kind of have to wonder what didn’t he get in life? What led to this extreme?”

Crooks’ gun — an AR-style 556 rifle — had been legally bought, the FBI officials said, adding that the FBI believed it had been purchased by the suspect’s father. The officials said “a suspicious device” was found in the suspect’s vehicle, which was inspected by bomb technicians and rendered safe.

Bruce Piendl, owner of Allegheny Arms and Gunworks in Bethel Park, said guns were part of the culture in the area. “You have to understand in western Pennsylvania we have a rich tradition of hunting and fishing and outdoor stuff,” he said. “Within 10 miles (16 km) of here, there are a ton of gun clubs.”

Piendl said his record show he did not sell any firearms to the shooter but declined to say whether he sold any to his family.

“That’s between me and God,” Piendl said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Law enforcement block a street in Bethel Park, Pa., that they say was a residence of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspected shooter of former President Donald Trump, on July 14, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

The gunman who shot at former president Donald Trump during an election rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday appears to have acted alone, according to the FBI, which is investigating it as a potential “domestic terrorism” act.

The gunman has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks (20).

Also read | Trump assassination bid derails Biden’s counter-polarisation strategy

“At this point in the investigation, it appears that he was a lone actor, but we still have more investigation to go,” said Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch.

The FBI, he said, is investigating this as an assassination attempt,” and also as a “potential domestic terrorism act.” The counterterrorism division and criminal divisions are working jointly together to determine the motive, he added.

The FBI is leading the investigation into the assassination attempt of Trump at an election rally in Pennsylvania.

Trump was hit with a bullet that pierced the upper part of his right ear. He is now safe and is continuing with his schedule that includes travelling to Milwaukee to attend the Republican National Convention, which would formally nominate him as the party’s presidential nominee against incumbent Joe Biden.

“The shooter may be deceased, but the investigation is very much ongoing. And, because of that, we are limited in what we say at this point,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said.

“What we witnessed yesterday was nothing short of an attack on democracy and our democratic process,” he told reporters at a news conference in Washington DC.

According to an FBI official, the investigation into the gunman at Donald Trump’s rally Saturday has not yet turned up any mental health issues, threatening posts or other motives, but cautioned it was still early.

The shooter, as per FBI, used an AR-style rifle chambered in 5.56mm, a common calibre for such weapons.

The New York Times said authorities were scouring the gunman’s social media and other property as they sought to determine a motive for the attack.

Crooks graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County two months ago, earning an associate degree in engineering science, school officials said in a statement, adding that they were “shocked and saddened by the horrific turn of events.” Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service, in a memo to her agents said “the attempted assassination of former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, is a moment that will forever be remembered in history.”

Hours after a bullet grazed former US president Donald Trump’ ear at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday sending shockwaves throughout the country, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the assassin as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.

“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the FBI said in a statement.

The investigation agency has now released a photo of the young attacker. The image shows the 20-year-old wearing glasses and smiling into the camera. 

Crooks was shot down by Secret Service snipers after he fired multiple shots at the former US president in the rally from a nearby rooftop. Witnesses claimed they tried to warn the secuirty officials about a man moving from roof to roof nearby and laying on his stomach with a gun pointed at the rally. 

An assault rifle, AR-15, was found near his body.

Described as a “quiet, lonely” student, Crooks had graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School, and received a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative.

A registered Republican, the upcoming November 5 election would have been the first time he would have voted in a presidential election.

His schoolmates labelled him as “socially reserved” and did not recall him ever discussing politics or Trump but mentioned that he was often bullied at school. “He was quiet but he was just bullied. He was bullied so much,” a student told local US media.

After graduating, he had been working at a nursing home.

Following the attack, a “suspicious device” was found inside his car, which is now being inspected by bomb technicians. Officials are now searching through his phone.

The Sunday attack was a close call for Trump, who is currently in the middle of a bid to be re-elected as the President of the United States. Videos show that a last second tilt of his head saved the leader’s life as the bullet clipped his ear.

A video showed the 78-year-old Republican leader, with blood smeared on his face, raising his fist and muttering “Fight! Fight!” as Secret Service agents whisked him off the stage after the attack.

Butler, United States:

A 20-year-old Pennsylvania man, Thomas Matthew Crooks, has been identified as the suspected shooter who tried to assassinate former president Donald Trump at a campaign rally this weekend.

Secret Service snipers killed Crooks on Saturday after he fired multiple shots at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, from a nearby rooftop.

As authorities seek to understand his motivations, here is what we know of the alleged gunman:

‘Quiet’

Crooks’ former schoolmates described him as a “quiet” student who often came across as “lonely,” ABC News reported.

But although he seemed “socially reserved,” a former schoolmate did not recall hearing him discuss politics or Trump, according to ABC.

Trump, 78, was hit in the ear at the rally. A bystander was killed and two spectators critically injured in the worst act of US political violence in decades.

Jason Kohler, who said he attended the same high school as Crooks, said the alleged shooter had often been bullied.

“He was quiet but he was just bullied. He was bullied so much,” Kohler told reporters.

He said Crooks had been made fun of for the way he dressed, noting that he would sometimes wear hunting outfits.

No military ties

Following the shooting, investigators found a “suspicious device” in Crooks’ car, which was inspected by bomb technicians and is being analysed.

They noted that explosive devices have been collected as evidence.

Authorities are now in the process of searching Crooks’ phone.

Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, told reporters Sunday that the gun used in the shooting was an AR-style semiautomatic rifle which was purchased legally.

Investigators believe the weapon used was purchased by Crooks’ father, but it was unclear how he accessed the weapon.

Rojek added that there were no indications so far of any mental health issues.

Crooks also did not have military affiliations, according to Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder.

The FBI told reporters that they are investigating the incident as an assassination attempt and also potential domestic terrorism act.

Acted alone

The shooter was believed to be working alone, according to the FBI, and officials said they have not identified an ideology associated with him.

His political leanings were not instantly clear.

News reports indicated he was a registered Republican, but also noted that he previously gave money to a Democratic-aligned progressive political action committee.

While social media platform Discord said it had identified an account that appeared linked to the suspect, this was “rarely utilized.”

A spokesperson added that “we have found no evidence that it was used to plan this incident, promote violence, or discuss his political views.”

The suspect’s father Matthew Crooks earlier told CNN that he was trying to establish “what the hell is going on” before speaking about his son.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Butler:

The gunman who opened fire at a Donald Trump rally had explosives in his car, US media reported Sunday, as investigators probed the attempted assassination of the Republican presidential candidate.

The Wall Street Journal and CNN said that explosive materials were found in a car belonging to shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, which was reportedly parked near the campaign event venue in Butler, Pennsylvania.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Butler, United States:

A gunman lays on his stomach on a rooftop with a rifle in hand, then screams ring out, a video published by US outlet TMZ on Saturday shows.

US presidential candidate Donald Trump was shot in the ear in an assassination attempt by a gunman at a campaign rally Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania.

BREAKING: CLEAREST VIDEO OF THOMAS MATTHEW CROOKS SHOOTING AT PRESIDENT TRUMP

A newly obtained video from TMZ shows the shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, firing at former President Donald Trump before being shot. In the background, a woman is heard… pic.twitter.com/UxQTwPOMIU

— Only Mob King (@OnlyMobKing) July 14, 2024

The FBI identified the gunman, who was shot dead by the US Secret Service, as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from the US state’s Bethel Park, according to US media.

The video published by TMZ shows the alleged shooter laying on his belly on a rooftop and aiming a rifle.

“The guy has longer brown hair, and he seems to be wearing a grey shirt/khaki pants — and as you can see, he’s carefully trying to pinpoint a target from afar before pulling the trigger,” TMZ reported.

The man is not shown firing in the published footage. But a quick succession of gunshots is heard followed by screams from people off-camera.

“He’s turning this way, be careful guys,” a man is heard saying.

“Somebody got shot,” another voice says. “He’s right there, laying down.”

“Dude, that’s exactly why we need… Trump here,” another man is heard saying.

“Secret Service don’t (mess) around,” another man says.

A second video published by TMZ shows shaky footage of the same rooftop and a blurred body.

“You can see the guy there,” a person off-camera says. “I think they hit him because the guy, he looks dead.”

Another video posted by a TikTok user shows Trump touching his right ear just after multiple bangs are heard.

In the same frame, a security force sniper, positioned on a roof behind the Republican presidential candidate, is seen taking aim with a rifle mounted on a stand.

AFP did not independently verify the videos, and it is unclear whether the sniper fired the weapon.

Trump then crouches down behind the lectern as Secret Service agents move in around him. Screams are heard in the crowd.

He is later escorted off stage by agents.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

At a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, former U.S. President Donald Trump became the target of an assassination attempt. The Associated Press (AP) learnt from his campaign representatives that the former U.S. President was doing “fine”. Trump had earlier taken to his social media website to enumerate that a bullet pierced his upper part of the right ear. “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place,” he wrote.

Trump rally shooting live updates

Law enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks (20) of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Further, the U.S. Secret Service informed about the shooter having been “neutralised” and is dead. They also informed that one spectator was killed and two were critically injured.  

July 13 was not the first time that the 78-year-old‘s life was under threat. Similar attempts have been made as far as back as in 2016 when he ran for President for the first time.  

2016: An attempt and a scare 

In November 2016, a youth was arrested when he tried to wrestle a gun from a police officer at a Trump rally in Las Vegas. He later told investigators about wanting to steal the gun in order to kill the then Presidential candidate. Identified as Micheal Steven Sandford, the 19-year-old British national was immediately arrested. News agency Reuters learnt from court filings that the teenager had been attempting to kill the Presidential candidate for a year. Furthermore, he decided to act upon it now because he “finally felt confident about trying it.” The UK-teen was sentenced to a year in prison.  

A month later, Trump again found himself in a situation albeit this time it was a scare. He had to be rushed off the stage by U.S. Secret Service during a rally in Reno, Nevada after someone in the crowd yelled “gun”. However, the federal agency could not find a weapon. Trump came out later amid loud cheers, stating, “Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped, never ever be stopped.” 

The Ricin attempts in 2018 and 2020

Attempts at causing harm to Trump were also prevalent during his stay at the Oval Office. The modus operandi this time around was ricin. As described by the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, it is a poisonous substance found naturally in castor beans. If the beans are chewed and swallowed, they release ricin and can cause injury or poison them.  

In 2018, William Clyde Allen III, a former enlisted sailor in the U.S. Navy confessed to have sent letters containing castor beans to then President Trump, FBI Director Chris Wray, Secretary of Defence James Mattis and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson. North America-based news houseCNN learnt from people investigating the occurrence that letters contained “messy handwriting on the envelopes” with one of them containing an index card that read “Jack the missile bean” and “stock powder”.  

Another such attempt was made in 2020. This time around, it involved a dual citizen of Canada and France. Pascale Cecile Ferrier, 55, admitted having sent threatening letter containing the poisonous substance to the White House and to eight Texas State law enforcement officials. According to court documents, Ferrier had made ricin at her home in Quebec, Canada.

Earlier in September 2020, the Canadian resident had also proposed on social media that someone “please shoot Trump in the face”. Before the convicted act, she had driven from Canada to the border crossing in New York where she was intercepted for carrying firearms and ammunition. Having been in custody since then, Ferrier was later sentenced to 22 years in prison.

2023: Email threats 

A Chicago woman by the name, Tracy Marie Fiorenza (41) was arrested in August 2023 for sending then former President Donald Trump threats that entailed shooting him and his youngest son Barron Trump. According to CBS, she was charged with sending mails threatening to shoot the former President “straight in the face at any opportunity that I get”. In another such email earlier, Fiorenza had allegedly written, “I am going to slam a bullet in Baron (sic) Trump’s head with his father in self-defence.” According to The Guardian, the earlier email was sent to an unidentified head of an educational institution in southern Florida where Trump has his primary residence.  

According to CBS, a Facebook page linked to Fiorenza contained several anti-Trump posts, including an image of an effigy of the former President hanged on a tree. The page introduced her as a former social studies teacher a Chicago public school until she was fired in August 2020. However, the publication could not confirm if she was actually a teacher.