FBI Shares New Details From Investigation Into Trump Assassination Attempt

Thomas Crooks spent months planning an attack, officials say.

Former President Donald Trump, with blood on his face, is surrounded by Secret Service agents after being shot by would-be assassin Thomas Crooks at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images

The man who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump spent months planning an attack, looking at various potential targets before settling on Trump, FBI officials said on Aug. 28.

Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old man, searched more than 60 times for information about the Republican presidential candidate and his then-rival, Democratic President Joe Biden, before registering in early July for a July 13 rally that Trump scheduled for Pennsylvania, FBI officials told reporters in a briefing.