A senior FBI official says the gunman in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump searched online for events of both Trump and President Joe Biden and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire last month as a "target of opportunity."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The gunman in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump searched online for events of both Trump and President Joe Biden, looked up information about explosives over the last five years and eyed the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire last month as a “target of opportunity,” a senior FBI official said Wednesday.

In the 30 days before the attack, the FBI says, Crooks did more than 60 internet searches related to Biden and Trump, including seeking the dates of both the Democratic and Republican national conventions. FBI Director Christopher Wray has previously revealed that one week before the shooting, Crooks did a Google search for “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?”

Looking forward to seeing how the MAGA elite spin this into their victimhood narrative.

    • Wirlocke@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      20·
      2 months ago

      We also “knew” a bunch of other theories at the time, like his twitter implied it was Epstein related (I think, whole thing was murky).

      This is more or less confirming a singular theory. Looks like he just did it because he believed he could. Maybe for legacy or infamy or just general importance.

      The irony is that the assassination attempt itself has basically become irrelevant. The Vance couch meme currently has a bigger impact than this.

      • ours@lemmy.worldEnglish
        61·
        2 months ago

        And we’re so much better off with the Trump campaign imploding as it is than having the Republicans exploiting Trump’s martyrdom had the assassin succeeded.

        • Letsdothis@lemmy.world
          127·
          2 months ago

          Lol… thanks. I appreciate that you commented this. Your comparison of Trump to Hitler clearly indicates your ignorance and immaturity. And the upvotes you’ve received helps (and downvotes my comment got) remind me of the crowd I’m dealing with here on lemmy. Hatefilled and ignorant. I don’t particularly like trump myself, I’ll admit it, but I don’t wish murder on him… I could try to explain the serious differences between the 2 political leaders, but it would do neither of us any good. Yalls need more help than I can offer here.

          • Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world
            181·
            2 months ago

            I compared him to Hitler at the beginning of his rise, when people like you defended him and called him harmless. Now here is history beginning to repeat itself and you want me to wait till it’s full on 1940 to call him out? Fuuuuuck that. Call me ignorant all you like but we’ve seen what fascism can do, and we need to stamp it out the moment it rears its head, not after.

            • Letsdothis@lemmy.world
              221·
              2 months ago

              You’re implying Hitler wasn’t as big a threat in 1936, but he should have been killed anyway… and you dont see how that would be wrong?

              That’s beside the point. You’re all skewed… 1936 August 28: German authorities implement mass arrests of jehova Witnesses in Germany. Most are sent to concentration camps. They already had concentration camps in 1936. Hitler wasn’t being called harmless. He wasn’t a threat to the west yet, but he was a threat to many. He was a threat to Germany. In 1923, he staged a coup and went to prison. “The Beer Hall Putsch.” No one like me was calling Hitler harmless in 1936.

              That’s actually beside the point, too. You want to execute an innocent man. Well… innocent of a crime that would call for the death penalty. You’re endorsing the assassination of an ex-president. An execution not based on law and order. Its disgusting and un-American to wish such a thing. I doubt this is convincing you, and I’m probably wasting my time, so I’m done now

              • piccolo@ani.socialEnglish
                13·
                2 months ago

                Attempting to overthrow the government and crowning himself dicktator would have landed him a treasonous hanging if the founding fathers were still around.

                • Letsdothis@lemmy.world
                  115·
                  2 months ago

                  Yeah, and if he had tried, it would have been justice. But he didn’t try to "overthrow the government. "… I know that’s what the media tells you, and you eat it up, but just try to use some critical thinking. Please.

                  If he had actually tried, he definitely wouldn’t be allowed to try to run again, at the very least. He most likely would be in jail. The fact that he isn’t tells us he didn’t legitimately try to actually overthrow the government.

  • tpihkal@lemmy.worldEnglish
    32·
    2 months ago

    Imagine if this guy chose to use a Tor browser for everything he searched. What a bizarre assassination attempt.

  • pivot_root@lemmy.world
    13·
    2 months ago

    Looking forward to seeing how the MAGA elite spin this into their victimhood narrative.

    Something something wanted to attend Biden’s rally as a fan, brainwashed liberal, etc. etc.

  • Letsdothis@lemmy.world
    112·
    2 months ago

    victimhood narrative.

    Isn’t that a correct narrative since there was, in fact, a victim?