Thomas Matthew Crooks: What You Must Know About Trump's Attacker

The young local man, Thomas Matthew Crooks, has been named by FBI as the person who shot at Donald Trump during a campaign rally

Investigators believe that Crooks, armed with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, opened fire at the former president while he was addressing a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, leaving one audience member dead and two others wounded.

The 20-year-old kitchen worker was shot dead at the scene by a Secret Service sniper.

The news concerning his actions and death leaves residents in shock about how a quiet man like him ended up in the act.

Crooks was not wearing an ID, but investigators banked on DNA and facial recognition technology to identify him.

He hailed from Bethel Park in Pennsylvania, about 70km (43 miles) from the site of the attempted assassination, and graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School with a $500 prize for maths and science, according to a local newspaper, according to FBI's report.

State voter records show that he was a registered Republican, according to US media.

He is also reported to have donated $15 to liberal campaign group ActBlue in 2021.

He had a membership at a local shooting club, the Clairton Sportsmen's Club, for at least a year.

There are also reports that the gun used by Crooks was owned by his father as Crooks's father purchased a gun in about 6 months before the incident. 

Although Crooks identity has been revealed, his intents are still unknown. 

"We do not currently have an identified motive," said Kevin Rojek, FBI Pittsburgh special agent in charge.

The incident, which saw the death of one person and two others injured has become a topic of International concern with many world leaders standing against the attack on democracy.

Not to mention that these events are likely to shake the outcome of the oncoming presidential election in the US, by causing more political uprisings, as the case has been filed aa an "assassination attempt."