FBI Identifies Trump Rally Gunman as 20-Year-Old Thomas Matthew Crooks

© AFP 2023 REBECCA DROKEDonald Trump was shot in the ear in an apparent assassination attempt by a gunman during a campaign rally on July 13, 2024.
Donald Trump was shot in the ear in an apparent assassination attempt by a gunman during a campaign rally on July 13, 2024. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 14.07.2024
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Earlier on Saturday, a man shot Trump in the right ear during a campaign event in Pennsylvania. The shooter also killed an audience member and critically injured two others in the crowd before the US Secret Service neutralized him.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, has been identified as the gunman who tried to assassinate former US President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in the state of Pennsylvania, the FBI said in a statement.

"The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. This remains an active and ongoing investigation," the FBI said Sunday.

Trump said a bullet fired by the gunman pierced the upper part of his right ear, but he is safe.
Kevin Rojek, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office, said that it is surprising that a shooter was able to get in position to attempt the assassination.
“It is surprising, but again, to get all the details of that will come out later in the investigation,” Rojek said during a press conference on Saturday, when asked how the shooter was able to fire shots toward Trump.
The Secret Service needs to answer questions about how the shooter managed to get into a position to fire on Trump during the event, Rojek said. The Secret Service was not available to attend the press conference on the shooting.
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Furthermore, the FBI did not have any information about a potential threat ahead of the assassination attempt, according to Rojek.

"From the FBI perspective, No, we did not have any specific threat information related to this event," he said.

However, the Pennsylvania State Police said that they were aware of reports of suspicious activity minutes ahead of the shooting and are following up on the matter.
Rojek said they are treating the incident as an assassination attempt against Trump at his campaign rally and are still working to identify the gunman's motive.

"This evening we had what we're calling an assassination attempt against our former President Donald Trump," Rojek said.

Pennsylvania state police said there is no reason to believe there is any other threat following the assassination attempt.
Earlier, the FBI said in a statement to Sputnik that it is taking over the lead role in the investigation into the shooting incident.
"The FBI has assumed the role of the lead federal law enforcement agency in the investigation of the incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred earlier today in Butler, Pennsylvania," the FBI said on Saturday night.
Special agents of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office responded immediately to the incident and will continue to support this investigation with the full resources of the FBI alongside its partners at the US Secret Service and state and local law enforcement, the agency said.
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