Thomas Crooks had 'a sustained detailed effort to plan an attack on some event,' FBI says
Chilling new video shows Trump shooter walking around rally before assassination attempt
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The FBI on Wednesday provided additional details about would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks' activity before and during the July 13 campaign rally that left one man dead.
While the FBI has not established a definitive motive for the shooter or any co-conspirators with advanced knowledge of the attack, Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office, told reporters during a press call that Crooks had "a sustained detailed effort to plan an attack on some event, meaning he looked at any number of events or targets."
The 20-year-old gunman "became hyper-focused" on Trump's rally in Butler when it was announced in early July. He had no identifiable political ideology, Rojek added.
Over the month leading up to the attack, Crooks made more than 60 searches related to both President Biden and former President Trump. In late September 2023, an account associated with Crooks "searched the former president's campaign schedule and upcoming appearances in Pennsylvania," Rojek said.
A photo shows the air conditioning unit Thomas Crooks used to access the roof ahead of the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) )
"Next, from April of 2024 through July 12, the subject searched campaign events for both former President Trump and President Biden, including events scheduled to take place in western Pennsylvania specifically on July 4, 2024. On July 9, he searched ‘ballistic calculator,’" Rojek said.
On July 6, he searched for specific details about Trump's event in Butler.
An evidence photo shows Thomas Crooks’ semi-automatic rifle and backpack as it was likely transported following the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) )
"The subject registered to attend the rally, and that same day he specifically searched for, ‘How far was Oswald from Kennedy?,' ‘Where will Trump speak from at Butler Farm Show,’ ‘Butler Farm show podium,’ and ‘Butler Farm show photos,'" Rojek further explained. "On July 8, the subject search ‘AGR international.’ And on July 10, he searched ‘weather in Butler,' and the 30 days prior to the attack, the subject conducted more than 60 searches related to President Biden and former President Trump."
He also noted "specific searches conducted on July 5 to include, ‘When is the DNC convention?’ and ‘When is the RNC in 2024?’"
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An evidence photo shows two explosive devices found in the trunk of Thomas Crooks' car following the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) )
The FBI confirmed that Crooks was seen walking outside the rally perimeter by a row of vendors at 4:26 p.m. on July 13, about an hour and a half before Trump began speaking.
Video footage from a local business showed Crooks climbing up the American Glass Research (AGR) building and then traversing multiple rooftops between 6:05 and 6:08.
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"Our overall finding is the subject was only on the roof for approximately six minutes prior to the shooting. Between 6:05 and 6:11 p.m.," when he was neutralized, Rojek said, later refuting rumors that there was a second shooter.
The day of the rally, Crooks flew a drone for 11 minutes, between 3:51 p.m. and 4:02 p.m., Rojek told Fox News Digital.
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The FBI's observations from the drone's flight path show it "would have been helpful for our subject to assess the security posture at the event," the special agent-in-charge said.
"However, we will never be able to determine the exact motivation for why the subject flew the drone," Rojek added. "We can only do that based on our assessment of the flight path and what we're able to determine through our analysis by the lab."
Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Email tips to
