Photo: Alamy
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday the agency believes would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks flew a drone near the rally site prior to his attack against President Donald Trump.
Wray appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing investigation into the attempted assassination of Trump during his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on July 13. During the hearing with lawmakers, Wray was questioned about Crooks reportedly having used a drone prior to the attack, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
“We have recovered a drone that the shooter appears to have used. It’s being exploited and analyzed by the FBI lab. The drone was recovered in his vehicle, so at the time of the shooting, the drone was in his vehicle with the controller,” Wray said.
Wray continued to state, according to the investigation so far, the agency believes Crooks was able to fly the drone roughly 200 yards from the direct rally site where the main stage was located sometime between 3:50 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time.
The confirmation from Wray comes after U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle submitted her resignation Tuesday after receiving major backlash for several security lapses at Trump’s rally on July 13.
Last week, the WSJ reported that law enforcement officials briefed on the matter and told the outlet about Crook’s drone, saying he was able to fly on a programmed flight path that could possibly have been flown multiple times to research the area.
The attack against the rally left Trump with an injured ear and killed former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore. Two other crowd members were also injured as a result.