Trump agrees to sit with FBI for ‘victim interview’ about assassination attempt

Former US president Donald Trump has agreed to the FBI's request to sit down for a 'victim interview' after he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt earlier this month during a political rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania.

FBI special agent Kevin Rojek saidthe interview with the former president would be "a standard victim interview" that the agency would do for any other victim of crime under any other circumstances.

"We want to get his perspective on what he observed. The interview with the former president will follow the same protocol as any other victim interview we conduct," said Rojek.

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Trump's would-be assassination was 20-year-old Thomas Crooks who fired eight bullets from an AR-15 rifle while being only 130 metres away from the Republican leader.

The FBI have so far interviewed dozens of people associated with Crooks, including family members, schoolmates and colleagues.

"We have learned the subject was highly intelligent, attended college and maintained steady employment," Rojek said. "His primary social circle appears to be limited to his immediate family as we believe he had few friends and acquaintances."

To this date,the premier security agency of the US has not been able to decipher the motive behind the shooting asCrooks had not posted anything incendiary for either side of the political spectrum.

Watch |Trump shooting: Trump's shooter 'quiet', 'lonely', 'bullied'

Agencies knew about Crooks' movement

On Sunday (Jul 28), media reports claimed that security agencies, particularly the Secret Service, knew about Crooks' movements at least 100 minutes before he pulled the trigger.

In the immediate aftermath of the assassination bid, multiple videos had emerged showcasing the rallygoers alerting the security agencies about the presence of an odd-looking man on the roof of the building.

Crooks searched for Trump and Biden

According to FBI,Crooks had searched for Trump as well as President Joe Biden in the lead-up to the events of July 13.

FBI added that the 20-year-old searched for dates of Trump appearances and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) where Democrats were earlier expected to certify Biden's nomination for the re-election bid.

Crooks had also placed explosivesin his car and reports indicate that he planned to blow it up after surviving the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt.

(With inputs from agencies)