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The FBI released new information Wednesday on its investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, defending its handling of the crime scene and contradicting some information lawmakers have reported in recent weeks.
More than six weeks after the July 13 shooting at Mr. Trump’s campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, the FBI has yet to identify a motive for the deceased shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, as its criminal investigation remains ongoing.
The FBI said its investigation has found that Crooks conducted dozens of online searches about campaign events for Mr. Trump and President Biden, as well as the dates of the Republican and Democratic national conventions.
But the FBI also sought to tamp down on false narratives, as it disputed lawmakers’ reports about the FBI improperly releasing the crime scene and Crooks’ body, among other assertions about the operability of Crooks’ firearm and his use of encrypted email accounts.
Rep. Mike Waltz, Florida Republican and member of the bipartisan House task force investigating the assassination attempt, recently speculated that Crooks may not have acted alone, citing his use of encrypted messaging accounts on platforms based in Germany, Belgium, and New Zealand as reason for suspicion.
“You can’t tell us his motive, but you could tell us he operated alone? You can’t get into these encrypted overseas accounts, but you can tell us he acted alone? So, I don’t buy that yet,” Mr. Waltz told DailyMail.com last week.
“Why does a 19-year-old kid who is a health care aide need encrypted platforms not even based in the United States, but based abroad where most terrorist organizations know it is harder for our law enforcement to get into?” he said. “That’s a question I’ve had since Day One.”
The FBI said in its update to the media on Wednesday that it has not uncovered any credible evidence indicating Crooks conspired with anyone else. Officials leading the investigation downplayed the significance of Crooks’ overseas encrypted email accounts.
“The level of encryption was no more sophisticated than any standard, widely used, internet-based email service,” said Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office. “We successfully accessed the information from these accounts and appropriately analyzed their content. However, we continue to identify and exploit the subject’s accounts.”
The Washington Times reached out to Mr. Waltz’s office for comment. --->READ MORE HERE
Donald Trump’s would-be assassin considered attacking a number of events featuring both the Republican nominee and President Biden before settling on last month’s rally in Butler, Pa., federal investigators said Wednesday — adding that the gunman’s ultimate motive remains unknown.
Thomas Matthew Crooks “conducted more than 60 searches related to President Biden and former President Trump,” as part of “extensive attack planning,” including queries about both the Republican and Democratic national conventions, FBI Pittsburgh Field Office Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek told reporters.
“He looked at any number of events or targets,” Rojek explained. “[When] the Trump rally was announced early in July, he became hyper-focused on that specific event and looked at it as a target of opportunity.”
Investigators determined that Crooks espoused a “mixture of ideologies” but didn’t appear to have a “definitive” world view, with Rojek saying investigators had found “valuable insight into his mindset but not a motive.”
“We have not uncovered any credible evidence indicating the subject conspired with anyone else,” he added before declaring there was “no second shooter” in an apparent response to conspiracy theories swirling online.
Crooks, 20, was killed by a counter-sniper on July 13 after his bullets cut down audience member Corey Comperatore and wounded Trump, 78, as well as two other spectators.
Eight days before the rally, investigators found, Crooks had searched for “When is the DNC convention” and “When is the RNC in 2024.”
Other alarming searches asked, “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.”
Simultaneous with the briefing, the FBI released photos of the AR-15 Remington semiautomatic rifle Crooks used, along with a pair of improvised explosive devices found in the trunk of the shooter’s car. The bureau noted that the IEDs were not a threat to go off, saying that the remote detonation receiver was in the “off” position and there were “several problems” with the construction of the devices.
As far back as September 2023, authorities found, an account associated with Crooks had searched Trump’s “schedule” for Pennsylvania events --->READ MORE HEREFollow link below to a relevant Story:
+++++FBI Unable to Determine Would-Be Trump Assassin’s Motive after Almost 1,000 Interviews+++++
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