Trump shooter researched Royal family while ‘scoping targets’ before trying to assassinate former President, FBI reveals
THE MAN who tried to assassinate Donald Trump had been researching the British Royal Family before he opened fire last weekend, FBI agents have revealed.
Thomas Crooks, 20, scoped out his targets online while planning the attack that left Trump with a bullet through the ear.
During a congressional briefing with the FBI, US politicians said they heard that Crooks had “scoped out” the rally venue where he later shot Trump.
FBI agents scouring his devices also discovered searches for an unnamed member of the Royal Family, The Times reports.
They found images of Trump and President Joe Biden, along with key dates for the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The Secret Service was also allegedly warned about a “suspicious person” an hour before Trump went on stage at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Crooks opened fire from a roof perch nearby, unleashing a spray of bullets towards the former President.
Counter snipers quickly fired back, killing Crooks at the scene.
One audience member died and two others were critically injured as Trump was hit.
It has been claimed that Secret Service agents failed to properly secure the area ahead of the event, even after flagging the shooter’s perch as a security risk.
Pressure has been mounting for the head of the agency to step down following the biggest failure in presidential security for decades.
Shocking video appeared to show rally-goers shouting at police as they saw shooter Crooks climbing onto a nearby roof.
And another report even claims a local police officer confronted the shooter before climbing down – seconds before Trump was hit.
President Joe Biden dubbed the shooting on Saturday “sick” and urged cool heads to prevail in a rare speech from inside the Oval Office the next day.
Crooks had clambered onto the roof of a building some 425 feet from Trump’s stage and lay in wait with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
Bobby Chacon, a former FBI agent, shared his confusion that the rooftop had not been secured considering how close it was to the stage.
He previously told The Sun: “I am very surprised that the rooftop used by the gunman was not secured and locked down.
“The rooftop was the closest high ground point with direct line of sight to the stage on which Trump was speaking. I think there was an error in planning and it would not have taken much resources or manpower to secure that rooftop.”
Bobby, a retired FBI special agent who worked in the FBI for 27 years, said: “this was a major security planning lapse”.
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.