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Trump shooter’s online activity shows searches of rally site, use of encrypted platforms, officials say

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Law enforcement officials investigating the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump still have not identified a motive, but they briefed members of Congress Wednesday about what they’ve learned about the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, and what he did in the months and days leading up to the attack at the July 13 rally.

According to three sources familiar with the briefing, on the day of the rally, Crooks, 20, sought out online photos of Butler Farm Show grounds, the site of the rally, and made searches about Allegheny Arms, a gun shop in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, where he lived.

Lawmakers were also told that he visited the site of the rally at least one time before the attack. 

The sources said he searched online in April about major depressive disorder. In the days after the rally was announced, he made searches related to Trump, President Biden, the former president’s whereabouts on July 13 and the Democratic National Convention. 

Secret Service and FBI officials, including Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and FBI Director Christopher Wray, provided House and Senate lawmakers separate briefings on Wednesday to give updates about the federal investigation into the assassination attempt.

Investigators trying to access foreign encrypted platforms used by Crooks 

The briefers told lawmakers they are still attempting to access three foreign encrypted platforms that Crooks used on his cellphone, multiple sources told CBS News. Sources said officials told lawmakers that the encrypted sites are presenting challenges to investigators and could take time to decrypt. 

According to the sources, the officials told lawmakers they found over 14,000 images on Crooks’ primary phone, and found among them a screenshot of an online live feed of the July 13 rally, saved at 6:01 p.m.. That would have been just 10 minutes before the shooting began. They also found stock images of guns and firearms, and articles related to American government officials.

Law enforcement also informed lawmakers that they found evidence Crooks’ parents attempted to reach and locate him on the day of the rally, though the timing was unclear. The gunman’s father called police before the shooting began, concerned about his son and his whereabouts, a law enforcement source confirmed Thursday. 

Guns, second phone, explosive device found in gunman’s home

The sources familiar with the briefing told CBS News that among the evidence that law enforcement found on and near the gunman’s body was an AR-style rifle, a remote transmitter and a primary cellphone. Sources said investigators found two explosive devices, a drone, a tactical vest and four magazines of the same ammunition used in the attack inside Crooks’ car. 

In his house he shared with his parents and sister, investigators seized over a dozen weapons, an explosive device, a secondary cellphone, a laptop, a hard drive and three USB flash drives.

The lawmakers were also briefed on the timeline of events leading up to the shooting, including that Secret Service were notified by Pennsylvania State Police of a suspicious person with a rangefinder on the grounds, roughly 20 minutes before the shooter fired on Trump.

No evidence on political or ideological leanings

Despite the piles of evidence, and over 200 interviews conducted in the investigation so far, the officials still have not determined what may have motivated the gunman, nor have they found evidence revealing his political or ideological leanings.

Lawmakers took to social media during and after the briefings to rail against what they said was limited information and responsiveness from the briefers. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, called the briefing “unbelievably uninformative.” Utah Sen. Mike Lee, also a Republican, posted on X during the briefing that the officials were “flooding us with details that aren’t all that helpful.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed for a classified briefing for members next week, according to one source familiar with the matter. He also plans to set up a bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt, with more details set to be released next week.



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9/15: CBS Weekend News – CBS News

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9/15: CBS Weekend News – CBS News


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Suspect who had rifle near Trump in custody after Secret Service opens fire; Groundbreaking commercial Polaris Dawn space mission splashes down

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What’s known about Ryan Wesley Routh, suspect in possible Trump assassination attempt

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A picture is emerging of the suspect who officials say pointed a high-powered rifle at former president Donald Trump on a Florida golf course Sunday afternoon. 

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was armed with an AK-47-style rifle and was 300-500 yards away from Trump when members of the former president’s Secret Service detail spotted him, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. Routh was a few holes ahead of where the president was golfing at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, officials said. 

Members of the Secret Service detail opened fire at Routh, according to law enforcement officials. It’s not clear if Routh fired any shots. Bradshaw said a witness saw a man jumping out of the bushes and fleeing in a black Nissan. The car was pulled over and the driver detained and identified as the suspect. Law enforcement found the rifle, a scope, two backpacks with ceramic tile and a GoPro camera in the bushes at the scene. 

The FBI and U.S. Secret Service are investigating the incident, which the FBI said “appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump.” 

As the investigation continues, here’s what we know about Routh:

Election 2024 Trump
Photos that show an AK-47 rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera on a fence outside Trump International Golf Club taken after an apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, are displayed during a news conference at the Palm Beach County Main Library, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Stephany Matat / AP


A decades-long criminal history

Routh’s most recent address is listed in Hawaii, but he spent most of his life in North Carolina, according to property records. Routh owned Camp Box Honolulu, a shed-building company, according to his LinkedIn profile. The account also says that he studied at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and graduated in 1998. 

Records show his problems with the law go back to the 1990s and include less serious charges, like writing bad checks. But in 2002, he was charged with a felony — possession of a weapon of mass destruction — according to North Carolina Department of Corrections records. 

Between 2002 and 2010, Routh was also charged with a number of misdemeanors, including a hit-and-run accident, resisting arrest and a concealed weapons violation, records show.

Suspect criticized Trump online 

Routh voted Democratic in the 2024 primary election in North Carolina, and he voted in person, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. He appears to be registered as an unaffiliated voter. 

His X account, which has now been suspended, included a number of posts about Trump. 

“@realDonaldTrump While you were my choice in 2106, I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving,” he wrote in a June 2020 post. “I will be glad when you gone.” 

He also referenced the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump in multiple posts, suggesting that President Biden and Vice President Harris should visit the injured and attend the funeral of the Pennsylvania rally-goer who was killed.

A Facebook account under Routh’s name was no longer online on Sunday evening.


Suspect was pointing rifle toward Florida golf course where Trump was golfing, officials say

08:34

Ukraine supporter 

Routh was passionate about fighting for Ukraine, even traveling overseas to fight in the country’s war against Russia in 2022. 

“I am coming to Ukraine from Hawaii to fight for your kids and families and democracy.. I will come and die for you,” he wrote on X. 

In one post on LinkedIn, he shared a photo of himself in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. 

A CBS News review of Routh’s social media shows his pro-Ukraine views seeped into his public statements as well. He urged people, even those who didn’t have military skills, to take up arms for Ukraine. He was interviewed by several news organizations, including The New York Times and Semafor in 2023, and Newsweek Romania in 2022. He was quoted about his efforts to recruit volunteer fighters to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, though it wasn’t clear whether he had succeeded. 

“This is about good versus evil,” he told Newsweek Romania. 

contributed to this report.



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9/15/2024: The Prosecution of January 6th; Danger in the South China Sea; Dua Lipa

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9/15/2024: The Prosecution of January 6th; Danger in the South China Sea; Dua Lipa – CBS News


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First, a report on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot prosecutions. Then, how a Philippines, China clash could draw in the U.S. And, Dua Lipa: The 60 Minutes Interview.

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