Police caught sight of the young Pennsylvania man who attempted to assassinate Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump more than an hour before the July 13 shooting, an FBI official said today.
A local police officer saw the gunman about an hour before Trump’s speech began that day, considered him suspicious and took a photo, he added.
Trump agreed to testify as a victim, as is customary in such cases, said Kevin Rozek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office.
“We want to know his side”he added.
The FBI confirmed that the former president was hit by a bullet “either whole or broken into fragments.”
At a morning briefing with reporters, FBI officials said they had not yet determined what his motive was. Thomas Crooksof the 20-year-old gunman who was shot and killed by a Secret Service agent after opening fire at a Trump campaign rally.
But they said Crooks had searched the internet for past mass shootings, improvised explosive devices, power plants and the attempted assassination of the Slovak prime minister. Robert Fitzo last May.
It also sought information on elected federal officials, including current and former US presidents.
According to the FBI, the perpetrator made more than 25 different online purchases related to firearms in 2023 using an alias. In 2024 it also bought six precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of explosive devices.
However, there is no indication that he had an accomplice in the assassination attempt on Trump.
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