The FBI has identified the man responsible for the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The FBI announced that the shooter, who was killed at the scene, was 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The motive for the attack remains unclear.
The incident occurred at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, approximately an hour north of Pittsburgh. The gunman was swiftly “neutralised” by the Secret Service, according to the agency’s chief of communications, Anthony Guglielmi.
Bethel Park, Crooks’ hometown, is a predominantly white, affluent city in the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania voter records indicate that a Thomas Matthew Crooks, matching the shooter’s address and birth date, was a registered Republican, though the timing of this registration is uncertain.
At a Saturday night news conference, law enforcement officials stated that the investigation was nearing a positive identification of the shooter, who was not carrying identification at the time of the incident. State police Lt. Col. George Bivens noted that the shooter had been tentatively identified, pending biometric confirmation.
Authorities are now focused on uncovering the motive behind the attack and determining if Crooks had any accomplices.
The Trump campaign has stated that the presidential hopeful is reportedly “fine”, with some anticipating that the incident could propel Trump to a total victory.
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