FBI reveals Trump gunman researched shooting of Slovak PM Robert Fico

The gunman who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump conducted online searches related to the 2023 attempted killing of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the FBI revealed on Monday.

This new detail about the shooter’s apparent interest in the attack on Fico has emerged as part of the ongoing investigation into the July 13 shooting at a Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania, reports The Washington Post.

“The suspect made significant efforts to conceal his activities, but we uncovered his internet searches related to the attempted assassination of the Slovak prime minister,” said Kevin Rojek, head of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office leading the probe.

Fico was shot and seriously wounded in Bratislava, Slovakia, in May of this year. Investigators said the gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, appeared to be monitoring that high-profile attack as he planned his assault on Trump.

In addition to the Fico research, the FBI said Crooks also conducted searches related to power plants and other mass shooting events before the Pennsylvania rally. This suggests a “careful planning” for the attempted assassination, according to Rojek.

Crooks, who had no apparent ties to Slovakia, opened fire on Trump’s rally from a rooftop just outside the security perimeter, killing one person and critically injuring two others before being fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper.

The FBI said they are still trying to determine Crooks’ exact motive, as no apparent links to any accomplices have been found yet. Agents have conducted over 450 interviews, including with Crooks’ parents who were unaware of the planned attack.

The FBI has requested an interview with Trump to get his first-hand account of the attack. Officials described it as a standard procedure for any victim of a crime.

Fico has drawn parallels between his experience and the recent assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump, suggesting that their political opponents are inciting public anger and pushing individuals to resort to violence, reports Euractiv.

Despite condemnation of the violence against both Fico and Trump by the Slovak opposition, mainstream media, and the third sector, members of the Slovak ruling coalition have continued to accuse them of being responsible for the attack on the Slovak prime minister.