Testified at US House Hearing
"Motive for Crime Still Unknown"
It has been confirmed that the shooter targeting former President Donald Trump meticulously prepared for the attack by researching the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy and surveying the scene with a drone.
On the 24th (local time), according to CNN and others, Christopher Wray, Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), appeared before the House Judiciary Committee hearing and reported facts uncovered during the investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
Director Wray explained, "The shooter (Thomas Matthew Crooks, deceased) searched on Google on July 6th for 'How far is Oswald from Kennedy Street?'" He added, "Considering his mental state, this was clearly an important search, and that day appears to be when the suspect registered to attend the Butler rally." Lee Harvey Oswald was the assassin of then-President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Wray emphasized that Crooks had stored photos of President Joe Biden and other famous figures on his phone, and from July 6th, a week before the attack, he particularly focused on former President Trump and the Butler campaign site.
Wray also stated that investigators estimate Crooks visited the Butler rally location three times. He made a first visit a week before the event, staying at the rally site for 20 minutes, and on the morning of the 13th, the day of the attack, he stayed at the site for 70 minutes. Notably, Crooks flew a drone for 11 minutes about 200 yards (183 meters) away from the scene two hours before the attack, capturing real-time footage of the area.
Furthermore, Director Wray said, "The weapon he used in the assassination attempt was a legally purchased AR-style rifle, presumed to have been bought from his father, the original purchaser." Crooks fired the rifle eight times before being shot dead by a U.S. Secret Service (SS) sniper at the scene. However, Wray noted, "Nothing noteworthy has emerged regarding motive or ideology (political stance)," adding that the investigation is keeping open the possibility that this incident is both an attempted assassination and a domestic terrorist act.
When asked about security lapses by the protective authorities that failed to prevent the assassination attempt in advance, Wray avoided a direct answer, stating that the matter is under review by inspectors and an external expert group. Previously, Kimberly Cheatle, who served as SS Director, resigned the day before, taking responsibility for the failure to protect former President Trump. President Biden issued a statement announcing the appointment of a new Secret Service Director.
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