BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The motive of the gunman, who attempted to assassinate former U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday (July 13) remains elusive.
The attempt by Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was subsequently shot dead by Secret Service snipers, caused injuries to the former president and two other persons, and also caused the death of a person.
Trump said on Sunday that he is still sinking in with the reality after the shooting incident. 'That reality is just setting in,' he told the Washington Examiner. 'I rarely look away from the crowd. Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?'
Trump, who had just begun his speech in Butler, PA, on Saturday, was seen grabbing his right ear with his right hand. He then brought his hand down to look at it before dropping to his knees behind the podium before Secret Service agents covered him. He emerged about a minute later, his red 'Make America Great Again' hat knocked off and could be heard saying 'wait, wait,' before agents ushered him into a waiting vehicle.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly said that though it appears the suspect acted alone, they are still probing if there were any co-conspirators associated with the attack in Pennsylvania.
'The FBI is investigating the shooting incident at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which resulted in one victim's death and injuries to former President Trump and other spectators, as an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism,' the bureau said in a statement, according to New York Post.
'We are working to determine the sequence of events and the shooter's movements prior to the shooting, collecting and reviewing evidence, conducting interviews, and following upon all leads. We have also obtained the shooter's telephone for examination,' the statement added.
The bureau said it believes Crooks, who had bomb-making materials in the car, which had parked not far away from the place where Trump's rally was held, acted alone, and that they have not found any threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological positions that could help explain the reason for him to target the former president.
Crooks, who graduated from Bether Park High School in 2022, reportedly was turned away from the school's rifle team because he was a bad shooter, according to the current captain of the team.
The suspect's father, Matthew Crooks, 53, is trying to figure out what happened. He told CNN he would wait until he spoke to law enforcement before speaking about his son.
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