Trump agrees to be interviewed by FBI in shooting investigation

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Former US president Donald Trump will participate in what is known as a victim interview.

Former US president Donald Trump will participate in what is known as a victim interview.

PHOTO: AFP

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WASHINGTON – Former president Donald Trump has agreed to be interviewed by the FBI for the investigation into the July 13 assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Trump will participate in what is known as a victim interview, said Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent Kevin Rojek, who is overseeing the inquiry.

US officials have said the shooter was 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by the Secret Service.

Investigators said they believe Crooks used foreign-based encrypted e-mail apps before the attack, Mr Rojek said in a briefing with reporters on July 29.

“We believe the subject made significant efforts to conceal his activities,” he said.

Crooks also did online searches for several national officials, including President Joe Biden and other former presidents, said Mr Rojek, who is in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office that is leading the investigation.

The FBI has said its investigation into the shooting remains ongoing, but has started releasing more details of its probe.

Mr Christopher Wray, the bureau’s director, told lawmakers last week that Crooks used encrypted messaging apps and flew a surveillance drone over the area where the shooting took place.

Crooks also made six online purchases in the first half of 2024 of chemicals in order to build explosive devices, said Mr Rojek. BLOOMBERG

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