Law enforcement block a street in Bethel Park, Pa., that they say was a residence of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspected shooter of former President Donald Trump, on July 14, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
The gunman who shot at former president Donald Trump during an election rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday appears to have acted alone, according to the FBI, which is investigating it as a potential โdomestic terrorismโ act.
The gunman has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks (20).
Also read | Trump assassination bid derails Bidenโs counter-polarisation strategy
โAt this point in the investigation, it appears that he was a lone actor, but we still have more investigation to go,โ said Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBIโs National Security Branch.
The FBI, he said, is investigating this as an assassination attempt,โ and also as a โpotential domestic terrorism act.โ The counterterrorism division and criminal divisions are working jointly together to determine the motive, he added.
Also Read : Trump rally shooting live updates
The FBI is leading the investigation into the assassination attempt of Trump at an election rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump was hit with a bullet that pierced the upper part of his right ear. He is now safe and is continuing with his schedule that includes travelling to Milwaukee to attend the Republican National Convention, which would formally nominate him as the partyโs presidential nominee against incumbent Joe Biden.
โThe shooter may be deceased, but the investigation is very much ongoing. And, because of that, we are limited in what we say at this point,โ FBI Director Christopher Wray said.
โWhat we witnessed yesterday was nothing short of an attack on democracy and our democratic process,โ he told reporters at a news conference in Washington DC.
According to an FBI official, the investigation into the gunman at Donald Trumpโs rally Saturday has not yet turned up any mental health issues, threatening posts or other motives, but cautioned it was still early.
The shooter, as per FBI, used an AR-style rifle chambered in 5.56mm, a common calibre for such weapons.
The New York Times said authorities were scouring the gunmanโs social media and other property as they sought to determine a motive for the attack.
Crooks graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County two months ago, earning an associate degree in engineering science, school officials said in a statement, adding that they were โshocked and saddened by the horrific turn of events.โ Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service, in a memo to her agents said โthe attempted assassination of former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, is a moment that will forever be remembered in history.โ
