By Steve Neavling
The gunman in the assassination attempt on Donald Trump embarked on a “sustained, detailed effort” to attack a major gathering before choosing to target the former president at a rally in Pennsylvania, the FBI said Wednesday.
Thomas Crooks, 20, did more than 60 internet searches related to Trump and President Biden before registering for the Trump rally in early July, according to FBI officials, Reuters reports.
“We saw … a sustained, detailed effort to plan an attack on some events, meaning he looked at any number of events or targets,” Kevin Rojek, the FBI’s top official in western Pennsylvania, said in a telephone briefing to reporters.
When the Trump rally was announced in early July, Crooks became “hyper focused” on that event “and looked at it as a target of opportunity.”
The FBI still does not have a motive in the assassination attempt.
Crooks’ computer activity revealed an interest in a variety of ideologies, but it didn’t conclusively indicate that he was driven by a specific left- or right-leaning perspective.
There was no evidence to suggest Crooks worked with other people, the FBI said.
