FBI Confirms Trump ‘Assassin’ Acted Alone But Questions Linger

The FBI has concluded that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who shot President Donald Trump during a 2024 campaign rally, acted entirely alone.

But the announcement hasn’t silenced growing questions about political extremism, online radicalization, and how one young man managed to breach Secret Service protection during one of the most high-profile events of Trump’s campaign.

Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire on July 13, 2024, during Trump’s rally in Butler, injuring the president and killing a local firefighter, Corey Comperatore, who was shielding his family. Two others, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were also critically wounded. The gunman was fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper moments later.

According to the FBI’s final report, Crooks acted alone and had “no ties to any domestic or foreign groups.” Investigators scoured his life — from social media accounts to his bank transactions — but found no evidence of a coordinated plot.

“There is no foreign connection in this case,” an FBI senior official said. “No individual or government directed, inspired, or assisted him in any way.”

The Bureau said it reviewed 35 digital accounts, executed 10 search warrants, and issued over 100 subpoenas in what became one of the largest domestic investigations in recent history. More than 1,000 interviews were conducted and 13 electronic devices seized from Crooks and his family.

FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino briefed reporters on the findings, emphasizing that every lead — even those involving foreign servers in Germany and Belgium — was exhaustively pursued.

“When there was a lead about an overseas connection, we reached out to foreign governments immediately,” the FBI official said. “They cooperated fully and turned over all data within days.”

Despite the thoroughness of the probe, some critics say the findings raise deeper concerns about how extremist ideologies spread online and how the Secret Service allowed a gunman to position himself within range of a sitting president.

Investigators say Crooks left behind no manifesto, note, or indication of motive. However, according to Deputy Director Bongino, archived online activity suggests the shooter may have been influenced by anti-government and militant rhetoric years before the attack.

“He did make limited political statements and expressed support for political violence in 2019 and 2020,” Bongino said.

The rifle used in the attack, a .223-caliber semi-automatic weapon, was registered to Crooks’ father, who told investigators he believed the gun was secured. The FBI also found 22 unused rounds, several magazines, and a homemade explosive device inside Crooks’ car.

Security at political events has since been radically overhauled. The 2024 shooting marked the first attempted assassination of a U.S. president since Ronald Reagan in 1981 and plunged the nation into shock amid one of the most polarized election seasons in modern history.

President Trump, who sustained a gunshot wound to his right ear, later described the moment as “a miracle of survival.”

“I felt the bullet ripping through my skin,” he said at the time. “But I never stopped fighting for America.”

For many, the attack became a grim reflection of how violent political divisions had boiled over in America’s public life — a warning that remains painfully relevant in 2025, as Trump continues his second term amid renewed culture wars and deep partisan distrust.

Reporting by [Your Name]. Additional sources: FBI briefing, Fox News, The Washington Post, and public records.