Gunman searched for Biden and Trump; saw rally as 'target of opportunity'
WASHINGTON - The FBI said the gunman in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump searched online for events for both Trump and President Joe Biden, but saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire last month as a "target of opportunity."
According to Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, 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.
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.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Trump survives assassination attempt
Trump survived the assassination attempt before he was whisked off the stage at a rally in Butler, when gunshots rang through the crowd on July 13.
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The former president and Republican nominee was showing off a chart of border crossing numbers when the sound of gunfire started ringing through the crowd. Trump could be seen reaching with his right hand toward his neck, and there appeared to be blood on his face.
He quickly ducked behind the riser as agents from his protective detail rushed the stage and screams were heard in the crowd of several thousand people. The gunfire continued as agents tended to him on stage.
The Secret Service said the former president was safe and fine after being checked out by medical personnel.
RELATED: Trump was struck by bullet during assassination attempt, FBI says
In a statement on social media, Trump later said he was "shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my 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," he said in a statement. "Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening."
Last month, the FBI has confirmed that a bullet did strike Donald Trump’s ear during the assassination attempt, moving to clear up conflicting accounts of what caused the former president’s injuries.
"What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle," the agency said in a statement.