WASHINGTON– The man who opened fire at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday had explosives in his car, US media reported on Sunday, as part of an investigation into the attempted murder of the former president and Republican candidate.
The Wall Street Journal and CNN reported that explosive materials were found in a car belonging to Thomas Matthew Crooks, who has been identified as the shooter. The vehicle was parked near the campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The FBI identified the shooter as “Thomas Mattew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.”
A video posted by celebrity news website TMZ shows the alleged shooter lying on his stomach on the roof of a building with the rifle in his hand. He is trying to “carefully aim at a target in the distance before firing,” according to TMZ.
The video does not show the man shooting. But a rapid succession of shots is heard, followed by screams from people who cannot be distinguished in the images.
In other images that have not been confirmed, the body of the suspected attacker is seen lying bent on the roof of a building just 150 yards (0.8 miles) from the podium where former President Donald Trump was speaking. The shots were fired from the roof of that building. He is believed to have acted alone.
FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek confirmed that Trump was the victim of an “assassination attempt.”
The father of the suspected gunman, Matthew Crooks, told CNN he was trying to “comprehend what happened” and would not speak until he contacted law enforcement. His son Thomas Mattew was registered as a Republican voter, according to media reports.
Source: With information from AFP, AP and other sources.
