Law enforcement officials briefed lawmakers Wednesday on the timeline surrounding the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, revealing that there was a 20-minute interval from when U.S. Secret Service snipers initially detected the gunman on a rooftop to when shots were fired at the former president.
According to ABC News, Secret Service snipers identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20 years old, on the roof of a building outside the rally’s security perimeter in Butler, Pennsylvania, at 5:52 p.m. ET.
The shooting occurred at 6:12 p.m. ET, marking the passage of 20 minutes.
Since the incident, the Secret Service’s response has faced scrutiny, prompting Congress to subpoena agency director Kimberly Cheatle for testimony.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson indicated Cheatle’s readiness to testify, stating she “welcomes the opportunity.”
Sources also told ABC News that Crooks had searched for images of both President Joe Biden and former President Trump on his phone, as well as the dates of Trump’s rally in Butler and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Investigators noted that Crooks’ phone history did not reveal his political inclinations, and they are actively investigating his motive behind the assassination attempt.
The briefing on Wednesday provided a detailed timeline of events:
- 5:10 p.m.: Crooks identified as a person of interest
- 5:30 p.m.: Crooks observed with a rangefinder
- 5:52 p.m.: Crooks spotted on the rooftop by Secret Service
- 6:02 p.m.: Trump takes the stage
- 6:12 p.m.: Crooks fires the first shots
From the time Crooks fired the first shot to the gunman being killed was just 26 seconds, according to law enforcement officials.
Eleven seconds after the first shot, Secret Service counter snipers acquired their target — and 15 seconds after that, Crooks was shot dead, officials say.
Read: WaPo Columnist Blames Trump, GOP For ‘Political Violence’ Following Assassination Attempt
In a separate development, on Tuesday, intelligence agencies uncovered an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate former President Trump, prompting the US Secret Service to ramp up security measures around him.
The implications of this threat and the government’s response are far-reaching. The security failures on Saturday in Pennsylvania raised questions about the vulnerabilities of high-profile figures.
According to multiple sources briefed on the matter, the US government received intelligence from a human source in recent weeks about an Iranian plot to assassinate former President Trump.
Read: Alejandro Mayorkas Ordered To Provide Key Documents On Terror Threat From Border Crisis
This revelation led the Secret Service to increase the security measures and resources dedicated to Trump’s protection detail.
The would-be assassin who attempted to attack Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, does not appear to be connected to the Iranian plot.
The 20-year-old shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed on the scene, but his motivations and potential links to foreign actors remain unclear.
The recent intelligence about the Iranian plot is not the first time that Iran has targeted former Trump administration officials. In August 2022, the US Department of Justice announced criminal charges against a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for allegedly attempting to orchestrate the assassination of John Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser.
Read: Heightened Security Measures Across US Military Bases In Europe Amid Credible Terrorist Threat
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was also reportedly a target of the Iranian assassination plot, according to federal law enforcement sources and a source close to Pompeo.
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