Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray testified at a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on July 24 and revealed new details about the investigation into the assassination attempt on US presidential candidate Donald Trump.
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CNN quotes Ray as saying that a week before the July 6 assassination attempt, 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks searched the internet for information about how far away Lee Harvey Oswald was when he shot and killed 35th US President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
On July 6, he Googled “How far was Oswald from Kennedy,” a search that appears to be significant to his state of mind. That same day, he apparently registered for the Butler rally, the FBI chief said.
He also said that on the day of the assassination attempt, July 13, two hours before Trump’s speech, at 4 p.m., Crooks launched a drone that circled the rally area and was approximately 200 yards (180 meters) from the stage.
The drone was in the air for about 11 minutes, with Crooks tracking the flight on his phone. Investigators were able to track the drone’s flight path and believe Crooks was using it to see what was happening behind him.
After the assassination attempt, investigators found a drone in Crooks’ car, CNN notes. They also found two explosive devices in the car. According to Christopher Wray, Crooks had no way to detonate them from the roof where he shot Trump.
The FBI director said it appeared the shooter climbed onto the roof through a chimney, not a ladder as previously thought. Crooks was on the roof for about three minutes before he was shot by a Secret Service sniper. Investigators found eight shell casings from an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle on the roof. Wray said the investigation determined Crooks legally purchased the gun from his father, who had purchased the rifle earlier.
After the assassination attempt, it became known that Crooks had searched the Internet for photos of Donald Trump and current US President Joe Biden. As the FBI chief clarified, it appears that the shooter was not looking for images of specific people, but for news about public figures.
“This is, frankly, a dangerous time to be a prominent public figure,” Christopher Wray added.
The FBI is investigating the Butler rally shooting as attempted murder and possible domestic terrorism. FBI officials have previously said they believe Crooks acted on his own. Wray said investigators have not yet determined the gunman’s motive.
Source: Racurs
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