The Federal Bureau of Investigation has revealed that Thomas Matthew Crooks who tried to assassinate former US President Donald Trump, had explosives in the car when he drove to the Pennsylvania rally and used a firearm purchased by his father.
Authorities found the ‘explosive devices’ in the 20-year-old’s vehicle and home after Secret Service agents sh0t and k!lled him seconds after he opened fire on the former president, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Matthew Crooks, 53, legally purchased the AR-15 that his son used to attempt to assassinate Trump on Saturday.
Thomas Crooks k!lled one rallygoer, Corey Comperatore, and critically injured two others who are being treated at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh while attempting to kill Trump.
A bullet struck the former president in his right ear but his campaign says he is ‘fine.’
Crooks, who graduated high school just two years ago, reportedly parked his vehicle near the rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday before scaling to the roof of a nearby industrial manufacturing building to carry out his attack.
Authorities claim that after police received multiple reports of suspicious packages near where the shooter parked his car it prompted them to dispatch bomb technicians.
Investigators worked well into the night to make sure the scene was clear, which included searching Crooks’ home and speaking with his family.
The FBI search led to the discovery of more bombs in the family’s Bethel Park home, according to reports.
Members of the community where Crooks is believed to have lived with his parents were swarmed by police and the Secret Service on Sunday morning.
Crooks was killed by USSS seconds after opening fire on the former president and presumed Republican presidential nominee on Saturday.
The would-be assassin was a registered Republican and a 2022 high school graduate. Records show Crooks donated on the day of the 2020 inauguration to a progressive group backing President Joe Biden.
Crooks sh0t at Trump with an AR-style rifle from a rooftop 130 yards from the rally stage in Butler just before 6:15 p.m. on Saturday.
