Trump Agrees To FBI Interview As Probe Into Assassination Attempt Continues

Donald Trump has agreed to be interviewed by FBI in connection with the recent attempt on his life during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

In a Monday interview on Fox News, Trump confirmed that the FBI will be meeting him on Thursday, according to Reuters.

It comes as the bureau continues its investigation into the motives behind the July 13 attack by 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.

During a briefing on Monday, Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, revealed that law enforcement had identified Crooks as a suspicious individual more than an hour before the incident in Butler, PA.

An officer took a photo of Crooks and circulated it among law enforcement at the rally. About 30 minutes later, Crooks was observed using a rangefinder and browsing news sites.

At around 5:56 p.m., Crooks was seen with a backpack, and by 6:08 p.m., police dashboard cameras captured him on the roof from where he later fired shots at Trump.

Crooks was ultimately shot dead by a Secret Service agent after opening fire. Although the FBI is not responsible for investigating any security lapses, they are compiling a timeline of events.

Rojek mentioned that the FBI has not yet identified a clear motive for Crooks, who was described as a loner with no close friends and limited social interaction outside his immediate family.

However, Crooks had conducted online searches related to previous mass shootings, improvised explosive devices, and an assassination attempt on the Slovakian prime minister in May.

Despite his critical stance toward the FBI, Trump has now agreed to participate in a standard victim's interview.

"We want to get his perspective," Rojek said.

"The interview of the former president will be consistent with any other victim interview that we do."

Rojek also confirmed that Trump was struck by a bullet, though it was unclear if it was whole or fragmented.

The investigation revealed that Crooks had made 25 firearm-related purchases and acquired six chemical precursors for explosive devices using encrypted applications.

His parents, who have been cooperating with the FBI, were unaware of any suspicious activities and could not provide clear reasons to report on their son before the shooting. They attributed his interest in chemicals to his passion for science experiments.