A remote detonator was found next to the body of a man who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
Pittsburgh’s WPXI reports that the detonator, a rectangular grey device with a keypad similar to a television remote control, was found alongside the gunman’s phone.
It has previously been reported that FBI agents recovered explosive materials, ammo and a bullet proof vest inside the 20-year-old’s car.
The FBI said on Monday it has gained access to the phone of the Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspect in the shooting of former President Donald Trump, as it continues to investigate his motive for the crime.
A remote detonator was found next to the body of a man who tried to assassinate former President Donald TrumpReutersThe FBI stressed that its investigation into Saturday’s shooting, which is being treated as both an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism, is still in its early stages.
It comes as Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle faces scrutiny after local law enforcement officials have directly contradicted her claim that a Beaver County sniper team was stationed in the very building from which Trump was shot.
The gunman fired from a rooftop that the US Secret Service had declared to be outside its security perimeter – a fatal omission that the agency should not have made, according to two of its former officials.
Two local Pennsylvania police officers who went to check out a dispatch call of a suspicious person in the area were alone when one of them, hoisted up by a partner to check the roof, was confronted by 20-year-old Crooks, Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe said in an interview.
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Video footage taken from near Butler Park Showgrounds appears to show a man with a matching description clutching an “AR-style rifle”.
The shooting resulted in Trump sustaining minor injuries, with an audience member killed and two others in serious condition.
Crooks was identified by the FBI via DNA after his body was found without any identification.
Investigators reportedly found a bulletproof vest, three fully-loaded magazines containing around 100 bullets, and two remote-controlled explosive devices in his car after the shooting.
Donald Trump shooter had ‘explosive devices’ in his carGETTY/REUTERS/X
At his home which he shared with his parents, another bulletproof vest and third remote-controlled bomb was later discovered.
The grim discoveries have triggered fears that Crooks may have been planning to continue his killing spree if he had escaped.
In a statement on his Truth social media, Trump extended his condolences to the family members of the man who was killed and the other who was injured.
He said: “I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.