FBI confirms lone gunman in assassination attempt on Trump, extensive probe reveals
WASHINGTON (TNND) — Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate then-former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, acted entirely alone, according to findings shared exclusively with Fox News Digital.
The conclusion follows one of the most extensive investigations ever conducted into an attack on a U.S. political figure, described by bureau officials.
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Crooks opened fire from a rooftop overlooking the rally on July 13, grazing Trump’s ear and killing 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, while injuring two other attendees. Secret Service counter-snipers fatally shot Crooks seconds later.
On Friday, in an exclusive briefing to Fox News Digital, FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy Director Dan Bongino, and a senior FBI official outlined the full scope of the probe and addressed ongoing questions about Crooks’ motive, online behavior, and whether outside factors played a role.
There were 485 personnel assigned to the case, conducting more than 1,000 interviews and reviewing over 2,000 public tips, according to the FBI. Agents executed more than 10 search warrants, issued 100 subpoenas, and examined 35 online accounts linked to Crooks, including social media, financial records, and multiple foreign-based email accounts.
Investigators seized 13 electronic devices belonging to Crooks and his family and manually reviewed over 500,000 digital files. Even the foreign email accounts, which were registered in Germany and Belgium, were fully accessed through international cooperation. FBI officials told Fox News Digital that none of the accounts contained evidence of coordination with foreign entities.
FBI leadership downplayed Crooks’ online activity initially, which Patel and Bongino said that was inaccurate. Crooks had posted violent, anti-government content online years earlier. But bureau officials emphasized that these posts did not provide legal grounds for an investigation at the time, and no tip was ever submitted about him.
In the days before the shooting, Crooks used his email to register for Trump’s rally, monitored weather in Butler, reviewed directions to local hospitals. Crooks, according to Fox News, also searched "how far was Oswald from Kennedy?" Investigators uncovered no manifesto or writings that explained why he planned the attack.
Investigators discovered an undetonated explosive in Crooks’ vehicle, which could have been remotely triggered but was left off. His shots came from a 223-caliber rifle owned by his father.
Despite months of investigative work, officials say no motive has been identified. Bongino stated to Fox News Digital that, “There is no motive for it, there is no reason for it.”
Investigators say the evidence supports a single conclusion: Crooks acted alone, and his motive for attempting to assassinate a former president remains unknown.
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