(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office, reportedly said Wednesday that the bureau has found no evidence that Thomas Crooks had help in his assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
Rojek and Bobby Wells, assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, spoke at a press conference—which was not publicized, and to which only FBI-approved media attended.
“There was no second shooter shooting at the former president that day. All the rounds have been accounted for. We have zero reason to believe there was a second shooter,” said Rojek, according to Triblive.com.
The FBI also said it’s found no evidence of the involvement of others—foreign or otherwise.
“I want to be clear: We have not seen any indication to suggest Crooks was directed by a foreign entity to conduct the attack,” FBI Assistant Director Bobby Wells told reporters, according to NBC News.
And even though the FBI has reportedly cracked at least two of Crooks’s three foreign-based encrypted chat apps, agents still haven’t found a motive.
“We have a clear idea of mindset, but we are not ready to make statements on motive,” Wells stated, claiming that Crooks’s online search history and social media presence reflected a “mixture of ideology,” according to Triblive.com.
Additionally, according to NBC News, Rojek said Crooks engaged in a “sustained, detailed effort to plan an attack” and “looked at any number of events and targets” before ultimately “hyper-focusing” on the Trump rally after it was announced in early July. The Trump rally appears to have been a “target of opportunity,” Rojek added, according to NBC.
The New York Post was also at the press conference, reporting more details about Crooks’s purported internet search history. According to the Post, Rojek said Crooks “conducted more than 60 searches related to President Biden and former President Trump.”
Crooks also reportedly had a July 5 search for “When is the DNC convention” and “When is the RNC in 2024.” Other searches, according to the Post, included “Where will Trump speak from at Butler farm show,” “Butler farm show podium,” “Butler farm show photos,” “detonating cord,” “blasting cap,” “How to make a bomb from fertilizer” and “how do remote detonators work.”
Additionally, the Post reported that the FBI has conducted “nearly 1,000 interviews,” including with Trump.
Meanwhile, Rojek reportedly said Crooks’ parents “have provided all the information that we have asked and have been extremely cooperative.” That comments comes in the wake of a local law enforcement officer from the rally suggesting that Crooks made several ANFO bombs in his parents’ home—raising questions about how the parents could possibly not know about that occurring under their roof.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
