11 months ago
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(NewsNation) — Why did Thomas Matthew Crooks effort to termination erstwhile President Donald Trump? Crooks’ motive remains a enigma astir 2 weeks aft helium was capable to get disconnected respective shots, sidesplitting 1 spectator, earnestly wounding 2 others and nicking Trump successful his close ear.
Though instrumentality enforcement officials and Crooks’ relatives person said thing that mightiness radiance a airy connected his motive, a fewer facts person travel to light, acknowledgment to the grounds of FBI Director Christopher Wray to the House Judiciary Committee earlier this week.
Investigators recovered pictures of Trump connected Crooks’ phone, arsenic good arsenic those of President Joe Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Wray himself.
Investigators besides accidental Crooks researched the dates of the Democratic National Convention, to beryllium held adjacent period successful Chicago, arsenic good arsenic scheduled appearances by Trump.
“On July 6, helium did a Google hunt for ‘how acold distant was Oswald from Kennedy,'” Wray said successful grounds earlier a House committee. He called that hunt “significant” regarding Crooks’ authorities of mind.
Wray said July 6 was besides the day erstwhile Crooks registered to be the Trump rally successful Butler, Pennsylvania.
“He was funny successful nationalist figures,” Wray said, adding that it was astir July 6 erstwhile Crooks began focusing connected the Butler rally.
That absorption turned into reconnaissance missions, arsenic Crooks visited the rally venue six days up of the July 13 event.
Crooks, who worked arsenic a nutrient work idiosyncratic astatine a nursing location and had nary transgression record, asked his bosses for support to instrumentality July 13 off. And, connected that day, helium bought the ammunition helium utilized successful the shooting from a weapon store a fewer miles from his home.
He besides flew a drone implicit the Bulter Farm Show spot hours earlier the rally. Police recovered remote-controlled explosive devices successful Crooks’ car, but the homemade bombs were near successful the “off” position.
“We’ve recovered 3 devices: 2 successful his vehicles, and 1 backmost successful his residence,” Wray said astatine the House hearing. Wray called them “relatively crude devices” that were susceptible of distant detonation. He said the bombs had receivers attached, and Crooks had a transmitter with him astatine the clip of the shooting.
Wray besides told lawmakers they judge that Crooks acted alone.
“So far, we person not recovered immoderate grounds of accomplices oregon co-conspirators, overseas oregon domestic,” helium said.
A elder legislature root told NewsNation that Crooks had a “major depressive disorder” diagnosis. His precocious schoolhouse classmates said Crooks was a loner and was ridiculed for however helium dressed.
“He was bullied truthful much,” said 1 erstwhile classmate.
