Cooperative and Willing to Be Questioned by FBI Over His Shooting, Trump: They'll Be Coming Thursday

Illustration of Donald Trump's security by the Secret Service. (Wikimedia Commons/DoD/Navydia Officer 2nd Class Dominique A. Pineiro)

JAKARTA - Former President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to be interviewed by the FBI, as the bureau investigates the shooting of Thomas Crooks (20) during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

"They're coming in on Thursday to see me," Trump said in an interview on Fox News that aired on Monday, as reported by Reuters on July 30.

As previously reported, the FBI is investigating an attempted assassination of Trump. Interviewing the victim is part of a routine investigation.

"The interview with the former president will be consistent with other victim interviews that we do," said Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, as quoted by CNN.

Through Trump's examination, the FBI wants to get his perspective on what he observed, just like other crime witnesses.

"This is a standard interview of the victim, as we do with other crime victims in any situation," said Rojek.

Rojek confirmed that Trump was shot by a bullet, either "whole or cut into small pieces."

Although the FBI is not the agency responsible for investigating every gap in Trump's security, FBI personnel are compiling a chronology of events, he said.

FBI officials said they had not identified a motive for Crooks, who was shot dead by Secret Service agents after opening fire.

However, they said Crooks had conducted online searches for previous mass shootings, improvised explosive devices and an attempted assassination of Slovakia's prime minister in May.

FBI officials described Crooks as a loner with no close friends or acquaintances, with his social circle limited primarily to immediate family members.

Using an encrypted app, Crooks made 25 purchases related to firearms and six chemical precursors used to make explosive devices, FBI officials told reporters.

Crooks' long-standing interest in science and conducting science experiments did not arouse any suspicion from his parents, who the FBI said have cooperated with the investigation.