FBI director reveals Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks flew drone 200 yards from rally stage two hours before and reveals how many bombs were found in his car

Donald Trump's would-be assassin Thomas Crooks was flying a drone supra nan rally tract 2 hours earlier nan shooting and conscionable 200 yards distant from nan stage, FBI Director Christopher Wray has revealed.

Wray made nan bombshell revelation to Congress connected Wednesday during a grilling by lawmakers connected nan investigation into nan assassination effort connected nan erstwhile president and nan monolithic information failures.

Crooks changeable Trump successful nan receptor conscionable 400 feet distant from nan shape successful Butler, Pennsylvania, connected July 13 from nan tile of a adjacent building conscionable extracurricular nan information perimeter of nan event. 

Wray revealed that investigators recovered Crooks had a drone that he utilized to study nan segment hours earlier nan arena started, which was recovered from his car parked nearby.

He flew nan drone astir 4 p.m. complete nan area of nan rally adjacent to '200 yards' from nan shape to study nan scene. Trump took nan shape astir 6:03 p.m., complete 2 hours later.

The FBI has besides recovered 3 'explosive devices' successful possession of Crooks. 

They were 'relatively crude devices' but had nan expertise 'to beryllium detonated remotely,' Wray said. 

The FBI head said 8 slug cartridges had been recovered from nan tile wherever Crooks fired disconnected his shots toward nan erstwhile president. 

And he wouldn't norm retired that Crooks did not person immoderate accomplices to nan crime, saying it's still being looked astatine by rule enforcement.  

As Wray faced questions astir why nan president was allowed connected shape contempt nan 'threat' being identified 20 minutes earlier nan shots were fired, Wray said, 'we don't cognize nan reply to that.' 

But he insisted his investigation was not focused connected nan information breach and nan Secret Service failures. 

'Our investigation is focused connected nan shooter and each things related to his attack.' 

His proceeding comes days aft nan erstwhile Director of Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle was forced to resign after evading answering rounds of questioning by punting to nan FBI successful different legislature proceeding earlier this week. 

Wray promised his agency would time off 'no chromatic unturned'  and emphasized that he wanted to supply each nan accusation he had astatine this constituent of nan ongoing investigation. 

'The shooter whitethorn beryllium deceased but nan FBI's investigation is very overmuch ongoing.'

He besides made a reference to nan warnings he has been giving Congress for years now astir nan threats of home terrorism. 

The shooting is 'another example, peculiarly heinous and very nationalist 1 of what I person been talking about.' 

Wray again warned astir 'passion and heated rhetoric turning into existent violence.' 

'We've seen it against nationalist officials of each sorts, we've seen it against rule enforcements nan number of officers changeable and killed successful nan line of duty is alarming.'

'It's almost each 5 days that a rule enforcement serviceman is killed successful nan statement of duty, that is an illustration of nan kinds of ways passion and heated rhetoric tin bubble complete into violence.'

The Judiciary Committee proceeding is expected to attraction connected some nan shooting astatine nan Butler, Pennsylvania, rally and nan 'ongoing politicization' of nan FBI. 

Questioning connected a abstracted foiled Iranian crippled to assassinate Donald Trump is judge to beryllium a taxable of contention. 

A bombshell study past week revealed nan U.S. received intelligence of an Iranian assassination crippled successful nan weeks earlier Trump was changeable astatine nan Pennsylvania rally.

Meanwhile, House Republicans are expected to group up a bipartisan task unit to analyse nan shooting successful a ballot this week. 

The FBI and Secret Service revealed to lawmakers past week they spotted shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks arsenic a personification of liking a afloat 62 minutes earlier he fired a shot. 

Twenty minutes passed betwixt nan clip Secret Service agents spotted Crooks pinch a weapon connected nan rooftop and he fired shots astatine nan president. 

In a staggering moment, Cheatle admitted connected Monday her agents connected nan crushed were warned betwixt 2 and 5 times that location was a 'suspicious person' reported earlier Trump took nan stage. 

While Trump walked astir pinch small much than a bloody ear, Crooks killed erstwhile occurrence main Corey Comperatore, 50, and critically injured 2 different rally goers sitting adjacent to wherever nan erstwhile president was speaking past play earlier he was neutralized. 

The information main had faced mounting questions complete why an supplier was not stationed connected nan tile from wherever gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened occurrence connected nan erstwhile president, and why Trump was allowed to return nan shape moreover erstwhile a threat was detected.

She had besides been bullied for suggesting her agency did not person a beingness connected nan tile because it was 'sloped.' 

The 20-year-old shooter Crooks, was capable to get wrong 160 yards of nan shape wherever nan erstwhile president was speaking erstwhile he opened fire. The building connected which he stood was extracurricular nan information perimeter, contempt intelligibly being wrong firearm shooting range.

And that was contempt nan FBI learning of a threat connected Trump's life from Iran starring to a bump successful information for nan erstwhile president successful nan days earlier nan July 13 rally successful Butler, Pennsylvania.

Cheatle said she believed she was nan 'best person' to lead nan Secret Service astatine this time, but later acquiesced to nan bipartisan demands for her resignation. 

On nan time of nan rally, Trump walked retired onto nan shape astatine 6:02 p.m.

Then astatine astir 6:12 p.m. Crooks' first shots rang out.

 Cheatle could not show lawmakers really nan shooter had gotten onto nan roof.

At nan clip of nan shooting, rule enforcement agents were wrong nan building, 147 yards distant from wherever Trump stood, but not connected apical of it. 

Cheatle curiously claimed nary officers had been placed connected nan tile because it was sloped. 

'That building successful peculiar has a sloped tile astatine its highest point. And so, you know, there's a information facet that would beryllium considered location that we wouldn't want to put personification up connected a sloped roof,' she told ABC News successful an question and reply Tuesday.

'And so, you know, nan determination was made to unafraid nan building, from inside.'

What transpired alternatively was a information nightmare: Thomas Matthew Crooks was capable to standard nan building and unafraid his ain position, while rule enforcement struggled to find him moreover amid pressing warnings from members of nan Trump crowd. But location wasn't capable clip to enactment connected nan tips, she explained.

'The shooter was really identified arsenic a imaginable personification of suspicion,' Cheatle said. 'Unfortunately, pinch nan accelerated succession of really things unfolded, by nan clip that individual was yet located, they were connected nan rooftop and were capable to occurrence disconnected astatine nan erstwhile president.'

She was referencing claims by witnesses that they alerted rule enforcement astir nan threat, but agents weren't capable to destruct nan threat successful time. Officials person pointed to nan first responding officer, who lifted himself up connected nan tile only to little himself backmost erstwhile nan gunman turned his limb astatine him. 

Cheatle has return blasted for nan fateful information breach, but has denied calls to measurement down. 

'The subordinate stops pinch me,' she said.

'It was unacceptable,' she told ABC. 'And it's thing that shouldn't hap again.'

'While we springiness overwhelming acknowledgment to nan individual Secret Service agents who did their jobs nether immense pressure, this calamity was preventable. The Secret Service has a zero neglect mission, but it grounded connected July 13 and successful nan days starring up to nan rally,' Comer is besides expected to say, arsenic he will again telephone for Cheatle's resignation.  

Also coming into mobility connected nan telephone was nan imaginable motive for Crooks to perpetrate specified an atrocity.

Officials did not corroborate an operating motive and said that his rationale remains a mystery. 

Authorities said that they person yet to find immoderate ideological worldly that could radiance ray connected why Crooks decided to sprout nan erstwhile president.

But, they did uncover that Crooks operated respective accounts connected encrypted platforms that they are still moving to summation entree to.

Here's a timeline of really that fateful July 11 went down:

1PM

The grounds to nan arena astatine Butler Farm Show opened astatine 1pm.

It began an hours-long build up that saw MAGA supporters instantly move into nan area to campy out.

Security swept nan area and group up perimeters, nevertheless questions person been raised complete really nan gunman was capable to unafraid a clear changeable conscionable 400ft from nan stage.

5PM

An hr earlier Trump took nan shape astatine astir 5pm, erstwhile GOP Senate campaigner Sean Parnell warmed up nan crowd, bringing cheers arsenic he slammed President Biden and his stuttering campaign.

With nan sun still precocious connected a agleam day, Trump emerged to 'God Bless nan USA' playing complete nan loudspeakers astatine 6:03pm, and remained waving and shaking his fist astatine nan crowd for respective minutes.

6:11PM

Trump brought retired a ample schematic pinch statistic connected nan migrant situation astatine nan confederate border, and told nan crowd astatine 6:11pm: 'That chart's a mates of months old...'

'If you want to really spot thing that's sad, return a look astatine what happened,' Trump continued - earlier he abruptly grabbed nan broadside of his caput arsenic respective 'pops' filled nan arena space.

6:12PM

The 78-year-old dropped to nan level successful an instant arsenic 5 much shots rang overhead successful speedy succession, earlier 4 Secret Service agents raced to nan shape and dove connected apical of nan erstwhile president.

Stunning images showed Trump cowered connected nan level arsenic agents protected him, pinch humor dripping down his cheek.

Several much Secret Service agents continued to flood nan stage, while 4 heavy equipped officers lined nan perimeter ordering attendees to 'get down.'

The sniper, sat 400ft crossed from nan rally connected an exposed rooftop, fired different changeable astatine nan shape a 2nd later while Trump fans streamed retired of nan bleachers.

Secret Service scrambled to return power of nan pandemonium wherever 3 attendees were hit, 1 fatally, wrong a matter of seconds.

6:13PM

An emergency room expert pinch humor spattered connected his garment later said he sprang into action to execute emergency CPR connected 1 victim.

'The feline had spun astir was jammed betwixt nan benches and a caput changeable here. There's tons of humor and he had encephalon matter,' he told CBS News.

'So I sewage him together truthful I sewage group location really helpful. I did CPR thorax compressions arsenic well.'

6:14PM

Microphones surrounding nan shape picked up staggering item of nan urgent response, opening pinch 1 ordering screaming group to 'get down, get down, get down.'

At nan aforesaid moment, snipers group up connected a tile adjacent to bleachers were seen firing backmost astatine nan gunman, pinch Secret Service agents surrounding Trump heard connected microphones confirming nan infinitesimal he was brought down.

Despite nan chaos flying astir nan scene, nan rally appeared to clasp its activity to spot if Trump was hit.

In a move that sparked iconic images group to specify his candidacy, Trump stood up and triumphantly held his fist successful nan air, pumping it astatine his supporters to raucous relief.

'USA, USA, USA,' nan crowd chanted astatine nan sight, pinch a blood-spattered Trump appearing to rima nan connection 'fight' respective times arsenic Secret Service tried to hurry him away.

While getting up disconnected nan floor, an supplier picked up a achromatic cloth and held it to Trump's bleeding ear, telling him to 'hold that connected your head, it's bloody.'

'Are we good?' 1 antheral supplier says, arsenic different responds quickly: 'Shooter down!'

'Shooter's down. Are we bully to move?' 1 says next. 'We're clear, we're clear, we're clear - let's move.'

Trump many times ordered nan agents to 'let maine get my shoes', to which 1 responds: 'I sewage you sir, I sewage you.'

The gunman was killed by agents soon aft opening fire, arsenic footage emerged online showing him look to beryllium changeable successful nan caput while crouched connected nan roof. 

Crooks was seen laying lifeless connected nan rooftop successful a later image, surrounded by rule enforcement stood complete him.  

A number of camouflaged rule enforcement officers emerged from nan broadside of nan stage, portion of a immense rule enforcement beingness that flooded nan area wrong minutes of nan first changeable was fired. 

At 6:14pm, Trump was whisked into his motorcade by astir twelve Secret Service agents, who formed a protective quality shield astir him. 

Before he sewage into his SUV, Trump again raised his fist to signify triumphantly surviving nan assassination attempt.