FBI has gained access to Thomas Matthew Crooks' phone in Trump assassination attempt
FBI investigators have succeeded in gaining access to Thomas Matthew Crooks' cellphone, a break in the investigation into his motives for firing on Trump.
The FBI announced they have successfully gained access to the phone belonging to Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin who opened fire on former President Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
"FBI technical specialists successfully gained access to Thomas Matthew Crooks’ phone, and they continue to analyze his electronic devices," the agency wrote in a press release.
Law enforcement sources with knowledge of the situation tell Fox News the weapon Crooks used, a DPMS AR-15 5.56, is now at the FBI’s forensic labs in Quantico, Virginia, along with his phone, laptop and at least one Improvised Explosive Device from his car.
The FBI finished its search of Crooks' home and vehicle. A little more than a dozen guns were found in the home. Crooks' family is still cooperating with the FBI, Fox News has confirmed.
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The FBI said it conducted nearly 100 interviews of law enforcement personnel, event attendees and other witnesses. It has also received hundreds of digital media tips, which include photos and videos taken at the scene.
The agency began its investigation into Crooks and the shooting shortly after the Saturday attack. Agents went to Crooks' home and the home of his parents on Sunday and Monday. They are investigating the incident as an assassination attempt and possible domestic terrorism.
Trump broke his silence on the assassination attempt on Monday, saying he is alive "by luck or by God."
"I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead," Trump told the New York Post. "I’m supposed to be dead."
"The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this, he called it a miracle," Trump also told the newspaper onboard his private plane while heading to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for this week’s Republican National Convention. "By luck or by God, many people are saying it’s by God I’m still here."
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Trump told the Post that had he not turned his head slightly to the right to read a chart on illegal immigration, the bullet that grazed him would have been fatal.
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He described the Secret Service agents who rushed at him as "linebackers," mentioning another one eliminated the gunman with "one shot right between the eyes."
"They did a fantastic job," he told the Post. "It’s surreal for all of us."