How did the assassin act before shooting Mr. Trump?

On July 12, Crooks went to a shooting range where he was a member and practiced shooting, according to a law enforcement official. The next morning, Crooks went to a Home Depot to buy a 6-foot ladder. He also went to a gun store to buy 50 rounds of ammunition.

Crooks then drove his Hyundai Sonata north about an hour, joining thousands of people from across the region who flocked to Mr. Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Crooks parked his car outside the rally site, concealing a homemade explosive device in the trunk that was connected to a generator he was carrying. Investigators believe Crooks then used a newly purchased ladder to climb onto the roof of a nearby building and opened fire on the former US President.

Police block off roads around the home of Thomas Matthew Crooks in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania on July 15, as the FBI continues its investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP

Investigators are continuing to search for a motive behind the assassination, scrutinizing Crooks' movements before the attack and trying to piece together a timeline of his actions leading up to the incident.

But nearly 48 hours after the shooting, investigators still lacked clues about Crooks’ thinking and possible motives. Even after successfully hacking into the gunman’s phone and computer, his bedroom, and interviewing his family and friends, agents still found no evidence of his motive.

Instead, sources said they found only typical online activities of the gunman, including interests in computer programming and gaming, which raised more questions.

Law enforcement sources said Crooks' attack could have been made more devastating with a remote-controlled detonator on his person, and his car's trunk contained a metal box of explosives connected by wire to a receiver.

That raises the theory that the gunman may have planned to detonate the explosives remotely to distract police and agents while shooting Mr Trump.

It is unclear how Crooks assembled the explosive devices in his car. Investigators analyzing his online search history found no indication that he was researching how to make homemade explosives.

The AR-style rifle Crooks used to shoot Trump was legally purchased by Matthew Crooks, the suspect’s father. According to Pennsylvania State Police records, it was one of more than 20 guns registered to Crooks that were stored at the family home. All of the guns were legally purchased.

The gunman and his father were members of the Clairton Sportsmen's Club, a gun club about a 25-minute drive from his home. The two enjoyed shooting there together, according to law enforcement officials. Rob Bootay, an attorney for the club, confirmed Crooks was a member.

The club, which has about 2,000 members, has a rifle range that is about 600 feet long — longer than the distance between Crooks and Mr. Trump when he shot the former president from a nearby rooftop. The range is in the hills south of Pittsburgh.

Crooks' parents, who have cooperated with law enforcement since the killing, told investigators that Crooks appeared to have no friends and appeared to have no political leanings. They knew little about what had been going on in their son's recent life.

Hoai Phuong (according to CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ke-am-sat-da-hanh-dong-nhu-the-nao-truoc-khi-ban-ong-trump-post303636.html