Trump shooting: The plan and the botched securityBBC by Graeme Baker 7/25/2024
Thomas Matthew Crooks walked into Donald Trump's election rally in Pennsylvania, unopposed with a gun, explosives and a rangefinder to measure distance to his target.
The aftermath of the 13 July shooting reveals a detailed plan hatched in the days before - and a series of security failings that allowed its execution.
Three congressional hearings were held this week with the head of the FBI, the Secret Service's director and Pennsylvania's state police chief.
Here is what those hearings have added to what is known about the attempt on Trump's life, what went wrong, and important unanswered questions.
The preparation
It is becoming clear that Crooks' attack was not the result of a last-minute meltdown: He had method, and purpose.
The FBI has said that 6 July appeared to be the inception date: Crooks registered to attend Trump's rally, and researched the assassination of President John F Kennedy, googling: "How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?"
"That's a search that's obviously significant in terms of his state of mind," Christopher Wray, the FBI's director, told the House Judiciary committee on Wednesday. He added that searches by Crooks then became "focused" on Trump.
He was working alone - the FBI say they do not think he received any help.
There was also reconnaissance. Mr Wray said Crooks was flying a drone about 200 yards (183m) from the stage two hours before Trump's rally.
Its camera ran for about 11 minutes, Mr Wray said, and the footage would have shown "a rear-view mirror of the scene" behind Crooks' eventual firing position.
Mr Wray said that Crooks had bought an AR-15-style rifle from his father, legally, although he did not say when. The gun had a collapsible stock, making it easier to conceal.
State police officers reported him using a rangefinder, a marksman's aid that measures distance to a target, as the rally got under way.
Crooks had also obtained explosives: two "crude" devices fitted with receivers were found in Crooks' car after the attack, Mr Wray said, and a transmitter was found on his body.
A bloodied receipt was also found on Crooks for a 5ft ladder, Mr Wray said - suggesting a recent buy. No ladder was found at the site, however, and Mr Wray said Crooks had used "mechanical equipment" to get to his perch - but did not elaborate.
And so Crooks turned up on the day with a concealable rifle, knowledge of previous assassinations, a rangefinder, two bombs, and detailed information on the layout of the area.
A plan in actionIt should be impossible for a man to walk into a presidential rally with so much gear, let alone carry it up to an undefended roof with a direct line of sight to the stage. But this is exactly what happened in Butler.
Statements to the House Homeland Security committee by Pennsylvania's police commissioner, Christopher Paris, convey a series of lapses from law enforcement.
The venue had two layers of security - an outer area patrolled by state police and an inner perimeter manned by Secret Service agents, including an anti-sniper team on a roof behind the stage.
An operations centre was staffed by members of the various agencies present. But on the day, communication was haphazard and areas of responsibility unclear.
Mr Paris told his hearing that state police were responsible for the area around the AGR International warehouse, the building from which Crooks fired that was around 400ft (122m) from the stage with a clear line of sight.
He revealed his men had raised its risk in the days before the rally and were told by the Secret Service that it was a state police matter as it was in the outer area.
As a consequence, a local SWAT-style Emergency Services Unit (ESU) team was stationed inside the building complex, Mr Paris added.
The New York Times reported that the team was in fact two men who stayed inside because of the hot weather. The plan had been approved by the Secret Service, the newspaper's source said.
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