Donald Trump gunman 'scoped out Kate Middleton and had pictures of her on his phone' before failed murder attempt

19 July 2024, 20:41

The gunman who tried to kill Donald Trump researched Kate Middleton and had pictures of her on his phone, according to the FBI.

Authorities told Congress that Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, researched various high-profile figures as he "scoped out" the target for his killing.

One of the figures included a member of the royal family, who previously went unnamed.

But the royal who Crooks researched has now been revealed by US outlet NPR as Kate Middleton.

Investigators said Crooks also searched for Christopher Wray, the director of the FBI, and Merrick Garland, the US attorney general.

Crooks was "neutralised" by US Secret Service after he fired at the former president during a campaign rally in Bulter County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, only grazing Trump's ear.

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As part of the investigation Crooks' motive for the attack, the FBI downloaded the data stored on two mobile phones owned by the gunman.

Both phones also contain images of Trump, President Joe Biden and details of the candidates' rallies and party conventions.

It comes after the King wrote privately to Trump following the assassination attempt, Buckingham Palace said.

King Charles is understood to have condemned the violence, expressed condolences for the victims and their families, and wished the former president and those injured a quick recovery.

The message was delivered on Sunday via the UK embassy in Washington DC. Buckingham Palace said the contents of the correspondence would be kept private.

In 2019, Charles, the-then Prince of Wales, hosted Trump and his wife Melania for afternoon tea at Clarence House with the then-Duchess of Cornwall during a Nato summit in London.

Trump was also feted with a state banquet, hosted by the late Queen, during a state visit to the UK earlier the same year.

The Republican presidential candidate said he wants to "bring the country together" in the wake of the attack.

He told The Washington Examiner, before an address to the Republican National Convention, if he had not turned his head away from the crowd to look at a screen showing data he was using in his speech, "we would not be talking today".

Trump said on his Truth Social media platform that a bullet had "pierced" his ear before he was dragged to the ground by Secret Service agents.

One person at the rally was killed - former fire chief Corey Comperatore - and two other spectators were critically injured, authorities said.

The gunman, a 20-year-old nursing home employee and registered Republican Crooks, was shot dead at the scene by the Secret Service.

It was the most serious attempt to assassinate a US president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.