Trump To Be Interviewed As Part of FBI Investigation Into His Assassination Attempt

FBI says former US President Donald Trump has agreed to be interviewed as part of its investigation into the attempted assassination at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month. The interview is scheduled as part of standard FBI protocol to gather information from victims of federal crimes, officials announced on Monday.

Trump, who is the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, was reported to have been struck by either a bullet or a fragment during the July 13 attack. Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, stated that the interview aims to obtain Trump's perspective on the incident. “We want to get his perspective on what he observed,” Rojek explained.

Rojek also provided new insights into the gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. Investigators discovered that Crooks had conducted online searches related to mass shootings, power plants, improvised explosive devices, and even an attempted assassination of Slovakia’s prime minister earlier this year.

Despite conducting hundreds of interviews, the FBI has yet to determine a clear motive for Crooks' actions. Rojek described Crooks as a reclusive individual whose main social interactions were with family members. The FBI noted that Crooks’ parents have been "extremely cooperative" throughout the investigation and have claimed no knowledge of their son's plans.