The FBI shared new information regarding the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a media briefing on Wednesday. They revealed that the shooter had engaged in “detailed attack planning” ahead of the rally, yet over six weeks later, authorities have not determined a clear motive for the attack.

According to Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, an in-depth examination of Crooks’ online searches has provided “valuable insight into his mindset,” although it has not led to a specific motive.

Investigators noted that Crooks had searched for Trump’s campaign itinerary and planned appearances in Pennsylvania as early as late September 2023, Rojek mentioned.

It appears Trump was not the only figure of interest.

Rojek disclosed that between April and July 2024, Crooks searched for campaign events not only for Trump but also for President Joe Biden, including those scheduled in western Pennsylvania. On July 5, he looked up “When is the DNC convention?” and “When is the RNC in 2024?” indicating interest in both major political parties in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential race.

In the month leading up to the attack, Crooks made over 60 searches focused on either Biden or Trump, according to Rojek.

‘Detonating cord,’ ‘blasting cap,’ ‘how to make a bomb’: Shooter’s Internet Searches Since 2019

His search history indicates that Crooks may have contemplated a violent act over several years.

Rojek mentioned that starting as early as September 2019 and continuing up to the summer of 2024, Crooks made numerous searches on explosive devices, such as “detonating cord,” “blasting cap,” “how to create a bomb with fertilizer,” and “how remote detonators function.” He also searched for substances like ammonium nitrate and nitromethane, which are often used to manufacture explosives.

Law enforcement discovered two explosive devices inside Crooks’ vehicle.

FBI Director Christopher Wray stated a few weeks after the shooting that these devices included receivers for remote detonation, with law enforcement even locating a transmitter on the roof of Crooks’ car. However, Wray also noted that investigators believed the detonation would not have been successful as the receivers were turned off.

Rojek added that the components Crooks used to assemble these devices were legally purchasable and easily accessible online.

‘No Clear Ideology Linked to Suspect, Left or Right’

Federal investigators have been delving into the background of 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks and his reasons for attempting to murder Trump since the Republican presidential candidate was shot in the ear at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. This attack also resulted in the death of Corey Comperatore, a rally attendee and father of two, while injuring two others critically.

Robert Wells, the FBI’s executive assistant director for national security, reported on the call that not only is there no identified motive, but also no co-conspirators or associates of Crooks who were privy to the attack beforehand.

Wells clarified, “We haven’t seen any evidence to suggest that Crooks was influenced by a foreign entity to execute this attack.”

Rojek remarked that investigators are also unsure if Crooks held any political affiliations. “We’ve detected no clear political ideology linked to him, whether left-leaning or right-leaning. It seems to be a mix, and we are still working to analyze and draw conclusions.”

Shooter’s Antisemitic Posts?

Rojek referred to testimony given by FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate before Congress on July 30, during which he mentioned the discovery of “the first real indication” of extremist views and violent political communications through a social media account they are currently working to confirm as belonging to Crooks.

Abbate noted over 700 posts made between 2019 and 2020, containing antisemitic and anti-immigrant sentiments.

The FBI’s current evaluation “suggests that those statements were linked to accounts tied to the individual involved, and we are still working to verify if they were in fact made by the individual himself,” stated Rojek.

‘Where will Trump address the public?’: planning prior to the incident

On July 4, just nine days prior to the incident, Crooks searched for information regarding the Butler campaign event, conveniently located near his residence. Just two days later, he expressed curiosity about an earlier political assassination, looking up the distance between Lee Harvey Oswald and John F. Kennedy at the time of the shooting.

This search, previously reported, was detailed by Rojek on Wednesday.

Rojek also noted that Crooks specifically investigated the arrangements for the campaign rally. On July 6, Crooks made online inquiries such as “Where will Trump speak from at the Butler Farm Show?” “Butler Farm Show podium,” and “Butler Farm Show photographs.” Rojek mentioned these were direct quotes, but did not specify the exact spelling, punctuation, or capitalization used.

On July 9, Crooks searched for “ballistic calculator” and looked up the weather forecast for Butler on July 10, Rojek reported.

Family ‘very cooperative,’ has received Crooks’ remains

Rojek indicated that the FBI is maintaining communication with Crooks’ family, who have been described as “very cooperative.”

Following an autopsy performed by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, law enforcement released Crooks’ body to his family, with agreement from the Butler County Coroner’s Office after consultation with the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police.

“I want to emphasize that it is not standard practice for the FBI or any law enforcement agency to request that a coroner or medical examiner keep possession of a deceased individual’s body indefinitely once our investigation and that of our partner agencies have concluded,” he stated.

Autopsy and toxicology results indicated that Crooks was neither under the influence of drugs nor alcohol at the time of his death, which was due to a single gunshot wound to the head, according to Rojek. Crooks was declared deceased at 6:25 p.m. EDT.

Accessed encrypted email accounts, Trump informed about the investigation

Rojek remarked that Crooks held encrypted email accounts overseas, though the level of encryption was similar to that of standard, well-known internet-based email services. The FBI has successfully accessed these accounts and examined their contents while working to further “identify and exploit” Crooks’ accounts.

During a congressional hearing in July, FBI and Secret Service officials acknowledged that Crooks was identified as a person of interest well ahead of the incident, sharing a photograph of him nearly an hour before he began firing at about 6:11 p.m. EDT. A local officer reported observing Crooks on the rooftop from which he opened fire with “a long gun” approximately 30 seconds beforehand.

Investigators have disclosed that Crooks used a ‘556 AR-style’ rifle in the incident, which is confirmed to have been operational. Rojek confirmed Wednesday that the FBI has successfully test-fired this weapon and matched the shell casings found on the rooftop to the rifle.

In a routine victim interview with Trump, the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police provided the Republican presidential candidate “with a detailed briefing on the investigation” while addressing his questions, as stated by Rojek.

Following the assassination attempt, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned amid significant pressure due to lapses in protecting Trump during the campaign event. Both Congress members and the general public have raised concerns about how Crooks managed to secure a direct line of fire on Trump.

In total, investigators have conducted nearly 1,000 interviews, issued numerous subpoenas, and analyzed hundreds of hours of surveillance footage, according to Rojek.