Biden Orders a Security Review After the Assassination Attempt on Trump

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FBI officials investigating the shooter in Butler, Pa., who targeted former President Donald Trump say they believe he acted alone and have not yet established a motive for Thomas Matthew Crooks’ alleged actions.

Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office who is leading the investigation into the assassination attempt, said key evidence collected from the scene is being shipped to the FBI lab in Quantico, Va. These include an AR-style 556 rifle, which was purchased legally, as well as Crooks’ cellphone.

Also being analyzed is a device found in Crooks’ car. NPR previously reported that the device was explosive in nature. Rojek would not definitively say that, but other officials on a call with reporters said it was “rudimentary” in nature.

“Our primary focus is on the phone and we’re working to get access to the phone,” Rojek said.

Crooks’ family is cooperating with the investigation, FBI officials said. His father purchased the weapon used in the attack and investigators are looking into how Crooks gained access to it.

Investigators are also looking into Crooks’ actions in the days and weeks before the shooting, Rojek said.

Robert Wells, assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, said the bureau was investigating the incident as “an act of domestic terrorism.”

There were no indication that Crooks had mental health issues and they found no threatening language on his social media accounts. The investigation is still in its early stages, he said. Investigators have limited insight into recent communications that Crooks made — texts and phone call details — that thus far has not revealed any motive for his actions. Rojek said the FBI has not yet identified an ideology associated with the shooter.

LIVE NPR updates on this story can be found here.