Donald Trump assassination attempt: Shooter Thomas Crooks registered as Republican, donated to Dems too

The shooter who attempted to assassinate has been officially identified as 20-year-oldThomas Matthew Crooks by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

While insufficient at this stage, the records suggest that Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, according to a report in The Associated Press.

However, federal campaign finance reports also show that he donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project - a liberal voter turnout group, through the Democratic donation platform ActBlue.The donation was made on January20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn in to office.

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Crooks reportedly graduated in 2022 fromBethel Park High School and received a $500 "star award" from theNational Math and Science Initiative, according to The Tribune-Review in western Pennsylvania.

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FBI identifies killed suspectas Crooks

Immediately after the attack on Trump, the US Secret Service managed to neutralise Crooks, whose identity remained unknown for a few hours. After initially refusing to reveal the identity without a DNA test, FBI made the identity official after media reports started carrying the name.

"The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania," the FBI said in a statement quoted by NBC and CBS.

According to witness accounts, photos and video footage available, it becomes clear that Crooks had positioned himself some 130-150 yards away from the stage atButler Farm Showgrounds, where the presidential campaign event was in full swing.

According to one of the witnesses, Crooks calmly climbed the roof of the building, settled in his position and fired the bullets, despite the public urging the security agencies to take action.

After Crooks was taken down by one of the snipers, agencies found an AR-style rifle at the scene. According to some media reports, he was wearinga Demolition Ranch T-shirt, which is one of the biggest firearms YouTube channels.

Authorities are now investigating if Crooks was a 'lone wolf' or he had support of others.

"It's too early to make that call. We have tentatively identified one shooter, but our investigation continues. We're following numerous leads, and it will take some time before we can conclusively determine if there was only one gunman," stated Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bevins.

Meanwhile, the Secret Service has been summoned by the House Oversight Committee to testify as to what led tothe massive lapse in the security apparatus of the former president.

(With inputs from agencies)