by Tom MacArthur, Tom Bateman, Bernd Debsmann, BBC News London and Pennsylvania
CBS NewsThe F.B.I. Donald Trump shot during election rally Thomas Matthew Crookes.
Crooks is accused of opening fire as the former US president was speaking to a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing one audience member and seriously wounding two others.
Authorities said the 20-year-old kitchen employee was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper at the scene.
In a statement, the FBI said Crooks was a “person of interest” in the attempted assassination of the former president and that the investigation was ongoing.
Who shot Donald Trump?
Thomas Crooks had no identification on him, so investigators used DNA to confirm his identity, the FBI said.
According to local newspapers, the suspect, who is from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the scene of the attempted assassination, graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 with a $500 prize for math and science.
The BBC understands that Crooks worked in the kitchen of a local care home, a short drive from his home.
State voter records showed he was registered as a Republican, according to US media.
He also reportedly donated $15 to the liberal campaign group ActBlue in 2021.
According to US media reports, Crooks was wearing a T-shirt from Demolition Ranch, a YouTube channel known for its gun and explosives content, which has millions of subscribers and posts a variety of gun and explosives-related videos.
Law enforcement officials believe the weapon used to shoot Donald Trump was purchased by Crook’s father, the Associated Press reports.
Two police officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that Crooks’ father bought the weapon at least six months ago.
The day after the shooting, law enforcement sources told the BBC’s US partner CBS that a suspicious device had also been found in Crooks’ car.
According to CBS, the suspect was in possession of a commercially available device that appeared to be capable of activating the device.
Bomb disposal technicians were called to the scene to secure and examine the explosive device.
What was his motivation?
Now that Crooks’ identity has been discovered, police and authorities are investigating his motive.
“At this time, a motive has not been determined,” Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office said at a press conference Saturday night.
Rojek said the investigation into the incident could take several months and that investigators would work “tirelessly” to determine Crooks’ motive.
Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but was “waiting to talk to police” before speaking about his son.
According to CBS News, police blocked off the road to the home where Crooks lived with his parents.
Neighbors told CBS that officers evacuated the home in the middle of the night without any warning.
Bethel Park police said a bomb investigation was underway near Crooks’ home.
Police vehicles have blocked roads and access to the area remains tightly controlled: only residents are allowed in and out.
Law enforcement sources told CBS they believe the shooting was planned to some extent in advance.
But just how much time was spent on the planning is still under investigation.
Police believe he acted alone but are still investigating whether he was accompanied by anyone at the rally.
Did he hit someone?
The shooting left one person dead and two injured.
According to CBS News, the three victims, all adult males who were spectators at the event, have not been named.
A GoFundMe page organized by Meredith O’Rourke, the Trump campaign’s national financial director, was set up hours after the attack to send donations to the families of those injured.
More than $340,000 (£267,000) has been raised so far.
In a post on his platform, Truth Social, Trump said he was “shot above my right ear” and felt the bullet “cut through my skin.”
Trump had blood on his ears and face as security officers hurried him away.
In a statement posted on the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) website, Trump said he was “in good spirits” and thanked law enforcement officers.
How far was the suspect from Donald Trump?
One witness told the BBC that they saw a man with a rifle, believed to be Crooks, on the roof of a building before Trump was shot.
Video footage obtained by TMZ shows The moment the shooting began.
According to CBS News, the gunman opened fire with an “AR-style rifle.”
A police source also told CBS that he had been reported by passersby and identified by police as a suspicious person, but officers lost sight of him before the shooting began.
However, the FBI said it was not immediately clear what type of firearm the gunman used or how many bullets he fired.
A Secret Service sniper returned fire, killing the gunman, the agency said.
Subsequent footage shows armed police officers approaching the body on the roof of the building.
