Trump ATTACK: Could’ve Been WORSE
On Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, a remote bomb detonator was discovered next to Thomas Matthew Crooks’s body on the rooftop where he attempted to kill former President Donald Trump.
Just beyond the rally grounds, on top of the AGR International, Inc. building, authorities found a gray 12-button remote control and a cellphone, according to Pittsburgh station WPXI.
Investigators claimed that Crooks had intended to set up a distraction during the shooting, and it is thought that the transmitter was linked to an explosive device discovered inside his car, according to the New York Post.
The incident may have been far worse if Crooks had been able to pull off a successful “distraction,” especially for Trump.
Podcast host Matt Tardio, a former sniper in the Special Forces of the U.S. Army, wrote on X that Crooks seems to have acquired a detonator for a particular shooting mechanism.
According to CNN, Crooks would have typically had to work on Saturday, but he informed his manager that he needed the day off because he had “something to do.”
Thomas Matthew Crooks arrived at the Butler County, Pennsylvania, security screening location about 3 p.m. on Saturday for the Trump rally. According to a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation, he first raised suspicions when he went through the magnetometers carrying a rangefinder, which resembles a small pair of binoculars and is used by hunters and target shooters to measure distances when setting up a long-range shot, the news outlet reported.
CNN also stated, “While the rangefinder would not have stopped Crooks from passing through the security checkpoint, it did draw the attention of security personnel who watched him until he left the secure area.”
Crooks was photographed by local police on the roof of AGR International at around 5:45 p.m., according to WPXI.
When a cop approached the roof, the attacker turned an AR-style gun on him, forcing the officer to retreat.
At 6:11 p.m., Crooks started firing again, which prompted a Secret Service countersniper to fire, killing the gunman.
According to CNN, two remote-controlled explosive devices, three fully filled magazines, and a bulletproof vest were discovered in Crooks’ vehicle.
Perhaps as a result of the Secret Service’s intervention, Crooks never set off the explosives in his vehicle.