FBI analyzing Trump shooter’s drone; recovered three explosive devices

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday provided new details on the drone and explosive devices recovered from the gunman who tried to kill former President Trump, noting that the shooter flew a drone over the Butler, Pa. fairgrounds about two hours before Trump spoke at the rally location.

Wray, who spoke before the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, said shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks flew the drone around the area, roughly 200 yards away from the stage, around 3:50 p.m to 4 p.m. Trump took the stage around 6 p.m.

“We think — but we do not know, so again, this is one of these things that is qualified because of our ongoing review — that he was live-streaming, viewing the footage [for] about 11 minutes,” Wray said.

At the time of the shooting, the drone was in Crooks’s vehicle, he said, adding that the device is now “being exploited and analyzed by the FBI lab.”

The FBI also recovered two “relatively crude” explosive devices in the Crooks’s car and one other at his home. 

Wray said the explosive devices had the ability to be detonated remotely and that the shooter was found with a transmitter on him, though initial findings suggest if he had tried to detonate the bombs from his position on a roof about 150 years away from Trump, he would not have been successful.

“At a moment, it looks like because of the on-off position on the receivers, that if he had tried to detonate those devices from the roof, it would not have worked,” Wray said before adding, “that doesn’t mean the explosives weren’t dangerous.”

Wray also revealed that the FBI was able to get into Crooks’ phone, which he called a “significant technical challenge.” Once cracked, they found Crooks had been using encrypted messaging applications.

“This has unfortunately now become very commonplace and it’s a real challenge for not just the the FBI, but state and local law enforcement,” he said of the encrypted apps.

The Wall Street Journal last week first reported that Crooks had flown a drone to get aerial footage of the Butler Farm Show grounds shortly before Trump’s rally, one of several security lapses that led to Trump’s near assassination, one attendee’s death and another two attendees being badly injured.