It has released images of the rifle and backpack Thomas Crooks used in his failed attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania last July.
The photos reveal how the rifle was dismantled to be transported in the SwissGear backpack that was found at the scene of the incident-where Crooks fired eight shots. The rifle is a semi-automatic AR-15 from the manufacturer DPMS Panther Arms and is caliber 5.56x45mm/.223.
The caption accompanying the photos from the FBI reads, "Thomas Crooks' rifle was likely transported dismantled, and the backpack was recovered from the scene."
In addition, the FBI released images of two IEDs that were found on Crooks' vehicle. According to the FBI, the remote detonator was in the "OFF" position, and the design of the devices had many issues.
The attempt occurred on July 13 as Trump was speaking at a Republican rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks of Bethel Park, a village about 65 km from the site of the rally, fired a number of shots with an AR-15-style rifle, grazing one of the bullets across Trump's ear.
Positioned on the rooftop of a building near the stage, Crooks was about 120 meters from Trump when US Secret Service agents managed to foil the effort and wrestled Trump to the ground immediately after.
It goes further that the search history of Crooks in the internet had more than 60 related to Trump and President Joe Biden. His searches traced back to September 2023, while his registration to the Trump rally came after a year of extensive research.
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