Trump's Would-Be Attacker Was Identified As 'Threat' Right Before Attack. Here's How Secret Service Lost Him
Thomas Matthew Crooks was flagged as 'suspicious' by the Secret Service up to an hour before he started shooting.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, who allegedly shot at former United States President Donald Trump, had been flagged as "suspicious" by the Secret Service an hour ahead of the shooting. The shooter was, however, lost in the crowd, law enforcement officials told lawmakers, according to media reports.
In two briefings held in the House and the Senate on Wednesday, law enforcement officials, including the Secret Service, shared limited fresh information pertaining to security and the shooter who attacked Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania last Saturday, a BBC report said.
BREAKING: New footage shows Thomas Crooks suspiciously walking around before trying to assas*inate Donald Trump.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 17, 2024
A new report claims Crooks was spotted with his rangefinder by the USSS *3 hours* before the rally.
Crooks was first noticed at 3 pm on Saturday in the security… pic.twitter.com/NtwU71kKYU
Wyoming Senator John Barrasso said the Secret Service told them they had spotted the attacker one hour before the attack but then lost sight of him.
“He was identified as a character of suspicion because [he had] a rangefinder as well as a backpack. And this was over an hour before the shooting actually occurred,” he told Fox News. “So, you would think that over the course of that hour, you shouldn't lose sight of the individual."
Crooks Had Done A Recce Of The Pennsylvania Rally Site: Report
It was further revealed during the briefings that the shooter had visited the site of the attack, the Butler County fairgrounds, at least once in the days before the assassination attempt, an official familiar with the briefing told CBS News. The man had also made use of his phone to search for images of both Donald Trump and US President Joe Biden.
FBI Director Wray told lawmakers on the call that more than 200 interviews had already been conducted and 14,000 images reviewed, as reported by Fox News.
The investigators faced criticism from multiple Republican senators for the lack of transparency. They expressed outrage that Trump was allowed to take the stage even after a threat was identified.
Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee took to X and said, "I am appalled to learn that the Secret Service knew about a threat prior to President Trump walking on stage."
A law enforcement official associated with the probe told CBS News that a sniper from a local tactical team deployed to assist the Secret Service took a picture of the gunman looking through the rangefinder, and immediately radioed to a command post to report the sighting.
The 20-year-old shooter was seen again on the roof of a building 20 minutes before the attack began, officials revealed, ABC News reported, citing officials. The attacker was killed by Secret Service snipers within 26 seconds of opening fire on the former US President.
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