Gunman in Donald Trump shooting saw July rally as ‘target of opportunity’, says FBI

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by Secret Service after a shooting at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania (Gene Puskar/AP)

The gunman in the assassination attempt of former US president Donald Trump searched online for events of both Trump and President Joe Biden and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire last month as a “target of opportunity”, a senior FBI official has said.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot at Mr Trump before being killed by the Secret Service, did extensive research for an attack before the shooting and had looked at any number of events or targets, said Kevin Rojek, the FBI’s top agent in Pittsburgh.

The new details were disclosed as FBI officials, in the latest in a series of briefings about the investigation, revealed that they had yet to uncover a motive for the July 13 attack in Butler, Pennsylvania, despite conducting nearly 1,000 interviews.

“We have a clear idea of mindset, but we are not ready to make any conclusive statements regarding motive at this time,” Mr Rojek said.