Explosives found in Thomas Matthew Crooks’ car: What do the authorities know about his motive?

United States law enforcement say they are yet to ascertain why Pennsylvania man Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate former American president Donald Trump on Saturday. But the latest news reports that explosives were found in Crooks’ car. According to those close to the investigation, speaking to the Wall Street Journal, his car was parked nearby the rally.

Trump, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for this year’s US presidential election, was injured when gunshots rang out as he spoke at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A bullet grazed the 78-year-old’s right ear, leaving him with blood running down one side of his face, before Secret Service agents quickly escorted him into a vehicle and away from the rally.

One spectator at the event was killed, while two others were left critically injured.

Authorities “tirelessly” pursuing Crooks’ motives

Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was later named by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as “the subject involved in the assassination attempt”. After opening fire on the rally, the gunman was shot dead by Trump’s Secret Service detail.

Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, told a press conference that the agency is now trying to uncover Crooks’ reasons for targeting Trump. “We do not currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was,” Rojek said.

What were Crooks’ political allegiances?

According to several media outlets, Pennsylvania state voting records list Crooks as a registered Republican. In 2021, however, he reportedly made a $15 donation to a Democratic-aligned political action committee, ActBlue. Reuters notes that Crooks’ donation was destined for the Progressive Turnout Project, an initiative which rallies Democrats to vote.

What else do we know about Thomas Matthew Crooks?

So far, the FBI has limited the details it has released on Crooks to his name, age and place of residence. The shooter had no identification on him when he carried out his attack, so investigators used biometric data to determine his identity, Rojek told reporters.

According to a report in the local newspaper the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in June 2022, and earned a National Math & Science Initiative Star Award worth $500. Bethel Park, which has a population of around 35,000, is located some 40 miles away from Butler.

CNN says it has spoken to Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, who told the media outlet that he was trying to ascertain “what the hell is going on”. He added that he was going to “wait until I talk to law enforcement” before offering any public comment on his son.