The FBI has confirmed that Thomas Crooks, the man responsible for an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, acted alone during the attack. This announcement comes from FBI Director Kash Patel, who provided detailed insights into the investigation on November 14, 2025. Crooks fired shots from a rooftop at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, killing one person and injuring two others before being fatally shot by Secret Service agents.
Patel shared extensive findings from the FBI’s investigation, indicating that over 480 agents were involved. The agency conducted more than 1,000 interviews, received over 2,000 public tips, and analyzed data from 13 seized digital devices. The director’s post on social media highlighted the exhaustive nature of the inquiry, stating that the FBI reviewed nearly 500,000 digital files and examined financial activities from ten different accounts.
The timing of Patel’s announcement coincided with claims made by Tucker Carlson, who suggested that the FBI had previously downplayed Crooks’s online presence. Carlson’s team had received an anonymous tip indicating that Crooks was not as elusive online as the FBI suggested. According to Carlson, this tipster utilized investigative tools to uncover multiple online accounts linked to Crooks, revealing a significant digital footprint that contradicted earlier FBI statements.
The investigation uncovered that Crooks had searched over 60 topics related to Trump and President Joe Biden in the month leading up to the attack. This digital activity raised questions about possible foreign involvement due to the use of encrypted accounts, although Patel dismissed these concerns in his recent update.
Patel’s statement aligns with earlier FBI briefings but adds new layers of detail about the depth of the investigation. Crooks, a registered Republican from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, shocked neighbors who described him as quiet and unassuming. His attack resulted in the death of Corey Comperatore, who died protecting his family, while another victim, David Dutch, a Marine veteran, survived despite sustaining serious injuries.
The fallout from the assassination attempt prompted congressional scrutiny of Secret Service protocols, which ultimately led to the resignation of its director. A bipartisan task force is currently addressing systemic failures, and a watchdog group has filed a lawsuit against the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security for records related to security lapses that allowed Crooks to access the rooftop.
As the investigation continues, lawmakers and critics are demanding more information, particularly regarding Crooks’s online activity. Patel’s recent update marks the first significant communication on the case since he assumed leadership of the FBI, indicating the agency’s ongoing commitment to transparency in this troubling incident.
