A young attacker named Thomas Matthew Crooks has gone down in US history. Crooks, who carried out the attack that will affect the fate of the 2024 US presidential elections scheduled for November 5, draws attention with a surprising detail.
KILLED AT THE SCENE
Thomas Matthew Crooks was killed at the scene after opening fire on former US President Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s presidential candidate, during a rally.
REVEALED IN VOTER REGISTRATION
The FBI reported that Crooks was a Republican according to Pennsylvania voter registration records. According to CNN, Crooks was registered as a Republican in the closed primary system, which allows members to vote for the party’s presidential candidate.
HE ALSO DONATED FOR THE DEMOCRATS
Crooks, who lives in Bethel Park, a suburb of Pittsburgh, about 35 miles south of the rally site, was found to have donated $15 in 2021 to a Democratic-leaning political action committee called the Progressive Turnout Project, despite being listed as a Republican in Pennsylvania’s voter database.
HE WOULD USE HIS FIRST VOTE IN NOVEMBER
According to data shared by CNN, Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. One of the most striking details was that Crooks will vote for the first time in the US presidential election to be held on November 5.
MATHEMATICS AWARD-WINNING ATTACKER
US media reported that Crooks received a “gold award” worth $500 from the National Mathematics and Science Initiative, while the suspect was reported to have walked on stage to applause at his high school graduation ceremony in 2022.
On the other hand, it was stated that Crooks, who was neutralized by the US Secret Service after the assassination attempt on Trump, had no identification on him. The FBI announced that Crooks’ identity was determined by DNA analysis. It was stated that Crooks had no criminal record, and it was reported that the reason for the attack was still under investigation.
HIS FATHER REMAINED SILENT
The suspect’s father, Matthew Crooks, said he would not talk about his son until he spoke to authorities.
HOW DID HE GET SO CLOSE TO TRUMP?
The Associated Press (AP) analyzed dozens of videos and photos from the rally, as well as satellite imagery, of the attack on former President Trump, finding that the attacker was able to get “surprisingly” close to the stage where Trump was delivering his speech.
Videos posted on social media showed the body of a man dressed in gray camouflage found on the roof of a manufacturing facility north of the site of Trump’s rally.
The roof is 150 meters from where Trump was speaking, the same distance that U.S. Army recruits are required to shoot human-sized targets with their M16 automatic rifles in basic training. The AR-15 used by the attacker is a semi-automatic civilian version of the M16.
Two law enforcement officials, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. Secret Service is investigating how the attacker got so close to Trump. The officials said the Secret Service’s precision sniper team and counter-attack team were at the rally at the time of the attack.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that the department and the Secret Service were working with law enforcement to investigate the shooting.
Mayorkas said ensuring the security of presidential candidates and campaign events is one of his most vital priorities.
“We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms and commend the Secret Service for their swift action today. We are in contact with President Biden, former President Trump and their campaigns, taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security,” Mayorkas said.
According to the BBC, the attack on Trump at the rally sparked discussions about “security lapses”.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Former US President Trump, who is running for president from the Republican Party, was attacked by gunfire while addressing his supporters from a podium at a rally in Pennsylvania. Trump, who was injured in his right ear, was reported to be in good health.
One person attending the rally was killed and two people were injured in the attack.
The US Secret Service announced that the attacker, who fired several shots at the podium from a high place outside the rally area, had been neutralized. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) described the attack as an assassination attempt.
After investigation, the FBI announced that the person who attempted the assassination and was killed at the scene was 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
(AA)
