The FBI announced that the man who shot Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. He lived with his parents in a quiet suburb and was a registered supporter of the Republican Party, the BBC summarized.
After missing Trump - the bullet grazed his ear - the gunman fired several rounds into the crowd, killing one person and seriously wounding two others. He was shot by Secret Service agents who guarded Trump as a former president and as an official presidential candidate.
Thomas Crooks had no identification on him and the investigation identified him through DNA.
Thomas Crooks lived with his parents in the quiet suburb of Bethel Park, Pittsburgh, about 70 km from the site of the assassination attempt. He will graduate from high school in 2022 while earning a $500 prize for his math and science results, the local newspaper reported.
After school, Crooks works near home in the kitchen of a nursing home.
As it became clear from the American press, the young man who tried to kill the Republican candidate Trump was himself officially registered as a supporter of the Republican Party.
However, three years ago he donated money - albeit only $15 - to ActBlue, an organization that supports the Democratic Party.
According to the American press, at the time of the attempt Crooks was wearing a T-shirt with the logo of Demolition Ranch, a YouTube channel with millions of subscribers that publishes videos of weapons and explosive devices.
Law enforcement determined that the gun Thomas Crooks shot was legally purchased by his father more than six months ago. Associated Press writes about this, citing anonymous sources.
"At this point we have not yet determined his motive," Kevin Rozek, head of the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, said at a briefing Saturday.
He said the investigation could last several months and investigators would spare no effort to find out what led Crooks to shoot Trump.
Thomas' father, Matthew Crooks, said in an interview with CNN that he has absolutely no idea what happened and that he needs to talk to law enforcement before talking about his son to the press.
After the assassination attempt, on Sunday night, the police cordoned off the Crooks' home along with the surrounding houses and urgently evacuated all their neighbors. The local police explained that this was due to the fact that explosive devices were found in the house.