The gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump had been purchasing firearms and bomb-making material for over a year, FBI officials said Monday during a conference call that included journalists, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The new information points to premeditation behind the July 13 shooting at a campaign rally July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, conducted 25 gun-related transactions online from spring 2023 to mid-2024 and bought explosive materials on six occasions, according to FBI special agent Kevin Rojek. Crooks also researched power plants, mass shootings, improvised explosive devices, and the May assassination attempt on Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico.
"While the FBI's investigation may not have yet determined a motive, we believe the subject made significant efforts to conceal his activities," Rojek said. "Additionally, we believe his actions can also show careful planning ahead of the campaign rally."
Using an alias, Crooks purchased chemicals and gun equipment, which he stored at his parents' home in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about an hour from the rally site.
"The parents have said in their interviews that they had no advanced knowledge of any of this," Rojek said, noting their cooperation with the investigation.
Multiple investigations are ongoing to determine how Crooks managed to fire from a building rooftop approximately 400 feet from where Trump was speaking. The shooting resulted in one spectator's death and critical injuries to two others, while wounding the former president. A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks.
The FBI has interviewed over 450 people, including Crooks' co-workers, family members, and former classmates.
In its investigation, the FBI has pieced together a profile of Crooks as a highly intelligent loner with steady employment at a nursing home and limited social interactions. His motive remains unclear. Crooks' interest in firearms began as a hobby and later included formal training courses.
Crooks registered for Trump's rally in Butler on July 6, three days after it was announced. That same day, he searched online for information about President John F. Kennedy's assassination, asking, "How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?" He visited the rally site the next day for about 20 minutes, conducting what law enforcement believes was preliminary surveillance. On the day of the shooting, Crooks accessed his firing position by climbing HVAC equipment and a pipe.
Investigators discovered two "relatively crude" homemade bombs in Crooks' car near the rally site. The devices, composed of ammunition boxes filled with explosives and connected to wires, receivers, and ignition devices, were intended for remote detonation. A remote detonator transmitter was found on Crooks' body.
"These devices consist of ammunition boxes filled with explosive material, with wires, receivers, and ignition devices connected to them," Rojek said. "The bombs were capable of exploding, but the receivers were in the off position."