Explosives were found in the car of would-be Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks after he was killed in a failed attack on the former president during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, according to multiple reports.
Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania was identified by the FBI as the man responsible for shooting Trump and numerous rally attendees in Butler, Pa. The shooter’s car was parked near Trump’s rally, and police dispatched bomb technicians after receiving multiple reports of suspicious packages, the Wall Street Journal first reported.
“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. This remains an active and ongoing investigation,” the FBI said in a statement.
Explosives were also found in Crooks’s home, CNN reported.
A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks at the scene after Crooks managed to fire multiple rounds into the crowd, killing one individual and critically wounding two others. Crooks’s father purchased the AR-style rifle he used to carry out the shooting, the Journal reported.
House Republicans have said they will investigate the shooting to the fullest extent possible and particular attention will likely be paid to how and why Secret Service failed to secure the rooftop Crooks fired from. Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Saturday the FBI, ATF, and numerous other law-enforcement offices will be investigating the shooting. Right now, the FBI is taking the lead on the investigation.
Trump himself was injured when a bullet grazed his right ear, causing him to fall to the ground as blood poured across his face. With the help of Secret Service agents, Trump quickly got back to his feet, raised a fist to the terrified crowd and chanted “fight!”
Trump’s courage in the moment instantly became an iconic symbol of his resilience.
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