The FBI said in a press release that it has gained access to the phone of the suspected gunman (identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks) who opened fire during former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which one supporter was killed and two others were wounded before Secret Service agents shot dead 20-year-old Crooks. The agency is continuing its search for a motive of the gunman’s attempted assassination of Trump.
The shooting, which left Trump bleeding from one ear, is being investigated as an assassination attempt. Per the bureau’s press release, federal investigators announced on Sunday that they had obtained Crooks’s cellphone, but had issues with bypassing its password protections to access date; however, investigators then shipped the phone to a lab in Virginia, where agents successfully gained access. The agency said its technical specialists have gained access to Crooks’ phone and continue to analyze his electronic devices for clues, as well as working to determine the motive behind the attack on Trump, but no clear picture has yet emerged. The FBI also stated that it had completed nearly 100 interviews of law enforcement personnel, event attendees and other witnesses, and had also completed a search of the suspect’s car and residence.
The FBI and DHS had previously said in a joint bulletin hat Crooks had received “several packages, including some marked as possibly containing hazardous material,” in the past several months based on a review of his shipping history, and also purchased 50 rounds of ammunition at a gun shop before traveling to the rally. A search of his home and vehicle had previously found “suspicious devices” that were sent to the FBI’s laboratory for evaluation.
Little information has been discovered regarding Crooks, who left behind no immediately available manifesto or record of the attack. He was registered as a Republican voter and donated $15 to a Democratic-allied organization but did not maintain a large online presence. The AR-style 556 rifle used by the shooter was legally purchased by his father and officials said there was no indication that the suspect suffered from any mental health issues.
In the meantime, the FBI and Homeland Security said they are concerned about the possibilities of retaliatory acts, or “follow-ons”, stating: “we cannot rule out the possibility that some [domestic violent extremist] or other actors may attempt follow-on or retaliatory acts of violence in response to this assassination attempt.”
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