Thomas Crooks gunned down by FBI operatives after failed attempt to assassinate former President Trump on Saturday in Pennsylvania.
The U.S. secret police, FBI, has identified a 20-year-old man, Thomas Crooks of Pennsylvania, as the mastermind of the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump during a Republican campaign rally on Saturday, in Butler, Pennsylvania.
According to the FBI, Cooks, who fired shots at Trump’s rally and wounded him on the ear, has been killed.
Senior FBI sources said that the assailant was shot dead by Secret Service snipers, and an AR-style rifle was recovered from him.
The shots were fired from an elevated position outside the Secret Service’s security perimeter, the sources added.
Photos taken near the scene show a person lying on a roof, bleeding from the head and surrounded by law enforcement officers.
Crooks was said to be wearing a grey T-shirt with an American flag on the sleeve and merchandise promoting a popular YouTube channel focused on firearms.
“This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is encouraged to submit photos or videos online at FBI.gov/butler or call 1-800-CALL- FBI,” the FBI said in a statement.
A voter-registration record showed that the alleged culprit was registered as a Republican, which makes it look suspicious as perhaps an in-house act.
Crooks was the resident of Bethel Park in Pennsylvania, and appears to have graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School.
He even received a $500 “star award” that year from the National Math and Science Initiative, according to The Tribune-Review in western Pennsylvania.
Multiple witnesses said they saw him before the shooting and alerted authorities.
Crooks was positioned on the roof of a building about 130 yards away from the stage, where Donald Trump was addressing the rally.
He was subsequently shot dead by the Secret Service officials after the attack on the 78-year-old former US President.
Police said Crooks’ motive behind firing on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is unclear.
