BREAKING: New Details Emerge About Gunman's Plan To Assassinate Trump, Photos Of Firearm And Explosives Released

On Wednesday, the FBI released new information on their investigation into the attempted assassination attempt of 45th President Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks. The bureau released images of the assassin's weapon, an AR-15, and explained that the rally was a "target of opportunity" after he considered various other targets like the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

After conducting over 1,000 interviews, the investigators have yet to determine a motive for Crooks' attack against Trump that left the presidential candidate with an injured ear and resulted in the death of supporter Corey Comperatore and the serious injury of two others. The FBI released photos of the weapon used in the attack, a semi-automatic DPMS DR-15 rifle, which was broken up into two parts to fit inside a black backpack. "Thomas Crooks' rifle broken down as was likely done for transport and the backpack recovered onsite," the photo's caption reads. Authorities explained that the rifle was put together after Crooks got onto the roof.

Other photos show two IED explosives placed in the trunk of the gunman's vehicle. The bureau explained that the explosives detonation switch was placed in the "off" position and that the "devices had several problems in the way they were constructed." Another photo shows the air conditioning unit that Crooks used to get up onto the roof of the AGR International building before opening fire.

The investigators' search of Crooks' previous internet search history revealed that the gunman had a "sustained, detailed effort to plan an attack on some event, meaning he looked at any number of events or targets." According to The Associated Press, the special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh FBI field office, Kevin Rojek, revealed that Crooks became "hyper-focused" on the Butler event as a "target of opportunity" after it was announced a few weeks prior.

The attempted assassin's search history included queries like "Where will Trump speak from at Butler Farm Show?", "Butler Farm Show podium," and" Butler Farm Show photos." The new details released by the FBI paint a more detailed picture of the attacker's preparedness and should be just the beginning of an ongoing investigation both within the FBI and in Congress.

View the photos below:

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