The man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump at an event in Pennsylvania over the weekend was revealed to have conducted online searches for pictures of Trump as well as the incumbent US president, Joe Biden. He also sought information regarding the dates of the upcoming Democratic and Republican national conventions. The revelations came from top officials from the FBI and Secret Service who shared them with congress members on Wednesday, though they confessed that these findings did not assist in discovering a motive for the attack.
The accused, a 20-year-old named Thomas Crooks registered as a Republican, apparently did not espouse any obvious political ideology, despite his detailed digital searches on many public figures. As reported by the New York Times, these individuals included the FBI Director, Christopher Wray, US Attorney General Merrick Garland, and significant party members like House Republican leader Mike Johnson and Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Despite the profound implications of his web-searches, their significance remains unclear according to officials. The Secret Service has come under increasing scrutiny for the security measures set up at the rally spot in Butler, Pennsylvania. As Congressional briefings unfolded, it was revealed that law enforcement officers had identified and marked the attacker as suspicious approximately an hour prior to the attack, only to lose sight of him later.
According to Mike Lee, Republican senator from Utah, the shooter was noticed again around 19 minutes before the gunfire started. Tom Knights, a local policing chief, recounted a disturbing incident where an official from Butler Township managed to scramble up the building side from where the shooter was positioned – 150 meters away from the stage where Trump was delivering a speech.
As per a report by CNN, Knights revealed in a statement that the officer saw the entire incident, with the shooter aiming his rifle at him. Stuck in a life-threatening situation, with no opportunity to retaliate, the officer was forced to let go and plummeted to the ground.
Revised Text: Some parliament members have been left in outrage following the latest information regarding the incident at Mr. Trump’s rally. Not only about the seemingly negligent response from the police despite prior sightings of the attacker, but also the long delay before Mr. Trump was targeted. Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the beleaguered Secret Service, is anticipated to address these concerns on Monday at the House oversight committee meeting.
Two mobile devices connected to the shooter were recovered – one at the rally location near his lifeless body on the warehouse rooftop after he was eliminated by Secret Service snipers, and another discovered during a raid at his residence in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. It was revealed to parliament members that the shooter’s online activity indicated searches related to major depression disorder, thus opening a new path of investigation towards potential mental health problems. – Guardian