Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Yemeni Armed Forces: We carried out three operations targeting Umm al-Rashrash Port, a military target in al-Naqab, and Lydd Airport with four drones
Yemeni Armed Forces: We carried out four military operations, including one targeting Lydd Airport with a Thulfiqar ballistic missile
Syria's Foreign Ministry: We welcome the US and Arab efforts aimed at resolving the current crisis peacefully.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the conflicting parties agreed on the specific steps to end the hostilities in Syria, adding that the situation is expected to be resolved tonight.
Israeli media outlet: One soldier killed and two seriously injured when a tank was targeted with an explosive device east of Gaza
Israeli fighter jets targeted the Mezzeh military airport and the Moadamiyeh al-Sham mountains with several airstrikes.
Israeli fighter jets targeted the 100th Regiment in the vicinity of the Qatana area in the southwestern Damascus countryside.
The counterterrorism unit in Kurdistan Iraq says a kamikaze drone hit the US' Hand Oil field in the Baadari area of Dohuk governorate.
Israeli occupation army: Air raid sirens sounded in various areas after a missile was detected from Yemen
Hezbollah: Experience has proven that this enemy does not respect covenants, does not abide by any agreements, and only grasps the language of force

Gunman flew drone over Trump rally area before shooting: FBI

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 24 Jul 2024 22:50
4 Min Read

The FBI head says there is currently no proof that gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks had any collaborators or co-conspirators.

Listen
  • x
  • Gunman flew drone over Trump rally area before shooting: FBI
    Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on July 20, 2024, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (AP)

The 20-year-old gunman, who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a campaign rally, flew a drone over the location about two hours before the speech began, the FBI director said on Wednesday.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said before a Senate committee that the investigation into the July 13 incident had not yet uncovered the gunman's purpose.

Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on Trump with an AR-style assault weapon soon after 6:00 pm, when the Republican presidential nominee was addressing a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Crooks was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper less than 30 seconds after firing and US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday after the organization came under heavy criticism for failing to stop the attack.

According to Wray, Crooks flew a drone above the rally location for approximately 11 minutes on the day of the incident, between 3:50 and 4:00 pm, about 200 yards (meters) away from the platform where Trump was set to speak.

The drone and controller were found in the gunman's vehicle as well as two "relatively crude" explosive devices and another at Crooks' home.

The FBI director stated that the bombs could be detonated remotely and that the shooter was carrying a transmitter when he was shot.

Wray stated that "the on-off position on the receivers," means had he attempted to detonate them from the roof, he would have been unsuccessful.

"But that doesn't mean the explosives weren't dangerous."

When asked how many rounds Crooks fired, Wray said eight cartridges had been found on the roof.

The head of the FBI told reporters that investigators "do not yet have a clear picture of his motive," despite working hard to find one. 

Related News

Iran rejects US claims over Yemen and Red Sea, slams regional meddling

Trump admin. to deny bond hearings for undocumented immigrants

According to Wray, the attacker "appears to have done a lot of searches of public figures, in general" although Crooks became "very focused on former president Trump and this rally" starting somewhere around July 6 or so.

The FBI chief revealed that Crooks even Googled 'How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?', referring to Lee Harvey Oswald's assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

He stated that there is currently no proof that Crooks had any collaborators or co-conspirators.

At 1st rally since shooting, Trump says 'took a bullet for democracy'

Donald Trump, addressing his first campaign rally on Saturday since surviving an assassination attempt, dismissed concerns that he poses a threat to America's democratic system, telling the crowd, "I took a bullet for democracy."

"I'm not an extremist at all," claimed the newly-crowned Republican presidential nominee at the Michigan rally, downplaying his reported links to Project 2025, a shadow manifesto from his close associates described by critics as an authoritarian, right-wing agenda.

He also mocked the Democratic Party, which is under unprecedented pressure for President Joe Biden to abandon his reelection bid due to concerns about his age and fitness to serve until 2029, if reelected.

"They have no idea who their candidate is... This guy goes and he gets the votes, and now they want to take it away. That's democracy," Trump told the crowd of 12,000 supporters.

The presidential hopeful revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping sent him a “beautiful note” following the assassination attempt.

"[President Xi Jinping] wrote me a beautiful note the other day when he heard about what happened," he said.

Trump described Xi as "a brilliant man who controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fist," adding that the Chinese leader makes people like Biden look like “babies.”

He also lauded Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin as "smart, tough" leaders who "love their country," echoing his 2022 praise for Putin’s decision to launch a special military operation in Ukraine.

In that 2022 speech at a rally in Georgia, Trump described DPRK leader Kim Jong Un as "tough", and remarked about Kim and Xi, "The smartest one gets to the top."

  • Christopher Wray
  • US
  • Thomas Matthew Crooks
  • Donald Trump
  • FBI
  • United States

Most Read

An Israeli soldier abandons an excavator during an ambush by al-Qassam Brigades. Arabic text reads "The moment the soldier fled", July, 10, 2025 (Al Qassam Military Media)

Israeli media rue al-Qassam footage, alarmed by fighters among troops

  • Politics
  • 11 Jul 2025
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage after an Iranian attack at the al Udeid Airbase outside of Doha, Qatar, June 25, 2025 (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Satellite images show Iran attack damaged US comms dome in Qatari base

  • Politics
  • 11 Jul 2025
Ukraine’s Corporate Carve-Up Collapses?

Ukraine’s Corporate Carve-Up Collapses?

  • Analysis
  • 11 Jul 2025
Credible reports, including some from Israeli media itself, indicate that Tel Aviv had pinned its hopes on what can only be described as a delusional plan. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Jebraily: Iran strikes rewrote regional deterrence rules - Exclusive

  • MENA
  • 15 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Druze from Syria protest in the Israeli-occupied Majdal Shams of the occupied Golan Heights, Wednesday, July 16, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Syria's Druze leaders divided over ceasefire; IOF vow more operations

Special Envoy of the Iranian Foreign Minister and his Assistant for West Asian Affairs, Raouf Sheibani. (IRNA)
Politics

Iran will not yield to snapback threats: Iran FM advisor - Exclusive

Mourners attend the funeral of the Palestinian teenager Amjad Nassar Awad Hawshiya, 15, who was killed in an Israeli raid, in the West Bank village of Yatta, south of al-Khalil, Tuesday, July 1, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'Israel' transfers Ibrahimi Mosque authority to settler council

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Washington (AP)
Politics

Trump admin. to deny bond hearings for undocumented immigrants

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS