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The gunman who tried to assassinate Donald Trump spent months researching him, along with other targets like Joe Biden, before deciding to shoot the Republican presidential candidate, the FBI has said.

The bureau said Thomas Crooks, 20, was involved in a “sustained detailed effort to plan an attack” before eventually becoming “hyper focused” on Mr Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.

But Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, has also admitted experts have not yet been able to determine what motivated him.

Crooks’ computer activity showed he was interested in a mix of ideologies, but did not show a definitive motivation from a particular left-leaning or right-leaning point of view.

Mr Trump was struck in the ear when Crooks, who was positioned on the roof of a nearby building, fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper.

This image provided by the FBI shows two improvised explosive devises as initially discovered in Thomas Matthew Crooks' car at the scene in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024. Crooks searched online for events of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire as a "target of opportunity," a senior FBI official said. (FBI via AP)
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Two improvised explosive devices were discovered in Thomas Crooks’ car. Pic: FBI

This image provided by the FBI shows Thomas Matthew Crooks' rifle broken down as was likely done for transport and the backpack recovered at the scene in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024. Crooks searched online for events of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire as a "target of opportunity," a senior FBI official said. (FBI via AP)
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The rifle used in the assassination attempt could be disassembled and hidden in this backpack, also recovered from the scene. Pic: FBI

Video evidence shows he was only on the roof for about six minutes, killing one person and wounding two others when he opened fire at the event on 13 July.

Crooks, who left several explosive devices in his car, had searched for information about bomb components as early as 2019.

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Trump gunman’s motive ‘unclear’

This image provided by the FBI shows Thomas Matthew Crooks' rifle as recovered at the scene in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024. Crooks searched online for events of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire as a "target of opportunity," a senior FBI official said. (FBI via AP)
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The FBI recovered the rifle used by Thomas Crooks to shoot and injure Donald Trump in July. Pic: FBI

Crooks searched for Mr Trump’s campaign events as early as September 2023 and continued looking for rallies for both candidates near where he lived in western Pennsylvania, and the dates of both the Republican and Democratic presidential conventions.

Mr Rojek described how Crooks eventually became “hyper focused” on the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when it was announced in early July “and looked at it as a target of opportunity”.

In the days leading up to the event, he researched information about the site, including where Trump would speak.

His online search history revealed questions and phrases like: “Where will Trump speak from at Butler Farm Show?”, “Butler Farm Show podium” and “Butler Farm Show photos”.

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The layout of the rally in Pennsylvania.

Body of gunman in Trump assassination attempt
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The gunman was on the roof of a building for about six minutes before opening fire

The FBI says it has already conducted nearly 1,000 interviews.

The new details suggest Crooks was a man who investigators believe had a strong interest in explosives, major events and prominent political figures, but they have not been able to assign a single motive.

“We have a clear idea of mindset, but we are not ready to make any conclusive statements regarding motive at this time,” Mr Rojek said.

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Officials say they have not found any evidence Crooks worked with other people, or had been directed by a foreign power.

There were also no traces of illegal drugs or alcohol in his system.

Meanwhile in an interview with talk show host “Dr Phil” McGraw, Donald Trump claimed that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris made it difficult for him to have adequate Secret Service protection at his campaign rallies.

The former president said: “He (Joe Biden) always made it very tough for us to have the proper number of Secret Service people.”

He added: “I don’t know whose fault it is, but I will tell you, I’d have these massive rallies with 50-60,000 people, more, and our people were always fighting to get more security, more Secret Service, and he knew that we didn’t have enough”.

Preliminary investigations determined there were significant failures by the Secret Service.

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US Federal Reserve defies calls from Donald Trump to cut interest rate

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US Federal Reserve defies calls from Donald Trump to cut interest rate

The Federal Reserve has defied calls from US President Donald Trump for a cut to the interest rate by leaving it unchanged.

The decision means it has an effective rate of 4.3%, where it has remained after the central bank, known as the Fed, reduced it three times last year.

“We’re keeping the rates high, and it’s hurting people from buying houses,” Mr Trump told reporters. “All because of the Fed.”

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Mr Trump has repeatedly been asked whether he would fire Fed chair Jerome Powell if he failed to heed his demand to cut the rate.

In June, the US president labelled Mr Powell a “stupid person” after the Fed decided not to change rates. Then less than two weeks later, in a further attack, he said the Fed’s chair should “ashamed” and would “love” him to resign.

The US president has spent months verbally attacking Mr Powell.

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Fed chair has ‘done a bad job’, says Trump

There were clear tensions between the pair last Thursday as they toured the Federal Reserve in Washington DC, which is undergoing renovations.

When taking questions, Mr Trump said: “I’d love him to lower interest rates,” then laughed and slapped Powell’s arm.

Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell
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There were clear tensions between the US President and Mr Powell during last week’s visit to the Federal Reserve. Pic: Reuters

The US president also challenged him, in front of reporters, about an alleged overspend on the renovations and produced paperwork to prove his point. Mr Powell shook his head as Trump made the claim.

When Mr Trump was asked what he would do as a real estate mogul if this happened to one of his projects, he said he’d fire his project manager – seemingly in reference to Mr Powell.

Donald Trump challenges Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell about the cost of renovations
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Donald Trump challenged Mr Powell in front of reporters. Pic: Reuters

Unlike the UK, the US interest rate is a range to guide lenders rather than a single percentage.

The Fed has expressed concern about the impact of Mr Trump’s signature economic policy of implementing new tariffs, taxes on imports to the US.

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Trump’s tariffs: What you need to know

On Wednesday, the president said he was still negotiating with India on trade after announcing the US will impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from the country from Friday.

Mr Trump also signed an executive order on Wednesday implementing an additional 40% tariff on Brazil, bringing the total tariff amount to 50%, excluding certain products, including oil and precious metals.

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The committee which sets rates voted 9 to 2 to keep the benchmark rate steady, the two dissenters were appointees of President Trump who believe monetary policy is too tight.

In a policy statement to explain their decision, the Federal Reserve said that “uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated” but growth “moderated in the first half of the year,” possibly bolstering the case to lower rates at a future meeting.

Nathan Thooft, chief investment officer at Manulife Investment Management, described the rate decision as a “kind of a nothing burger” and it was “widely expected”.

Tony Welch, chief investment officer at SignatureFD, agreed that it was “broadly as expected”. He added: “That explains why you’re not seeing a lot of movement in the market right now because there’s nothing that’s surprising.”

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Powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake causes tsunami in Russia’s Far East – with warnings issued for Japan, Hawaii and Alaska

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Powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake causes tsunami in Russia's Far East - with warnings issued for Japan, Hawaii and Alaska

A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake has struck off Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, causing a tsunami.

A tsunami of up to four metres (13 feet) was recorded in Kamchatka Peninsula, leading to evacuations and damaging buildings, officials said.

Tsunami warnings have been issued for Japan, the Philippines, Hawaii and parts of Alaska in the US.

The Honolulu Department of Emergency Management in Hawaii has called for the evacuation of some coastal areas, writing on X: “Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected.”

The first waves in Hawaii are expected to hit at 7pm local time (6am UK time).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has said waves of one to three meters (three to 10 feet) above tide level were possible along some coastal areas of Hawaii, Chile, Japan and the Solomon Islands.

Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov had earlier said: “Today’s earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors.”

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Several people in the region sought medical assistance following the quake, Oleg Melnikov, regional health minister told Russia’s Tass state news agency.

“Unfortunately, there are some people injured during the seismic event. Some were hurt while running outside, and one patient jumped out of a window. A woman was also injured inside the new airport terminal,” Mr Melnikov said.

Russia’s Tass news agency reported from the biggest city nearby, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, that many people ran out into the street, while cabinets toppled inside homes, mirrors were broken, cars swayed on roads and balconies on buildings shook noticeably.

Power outages and mobile phone service failures were also reported in the capital of the Kamchatka region.

The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on Russia’s Kuril Islands in the Pacific, according to the local governor Valery Limarenko.

He said residents were safe and staying on high ground until the threat of a repeat wave was gone.

A regional branch of Russia’s geophysical service has said that “significant, noticeable” aftershocks with magnitudes of up to 7.5 after expected to continue for at least another month.

Japan issued a tsunami warning, saying it expects waves as high as three metres to arrive along large coastal areas along the Pacific Ocean.

Waves off the coast of the Hokkaido Prefecture in Japan after the tsunami warning was issued. Pic: AP
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Waves off the coast of the Hokkaido Prefecture in Japan after the tsunami warning was issued. Pic: AP

It has ordered the evacuation of some areas.

The National Tsunami Warning Center, based in Alaska, issued a tsunami warning for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands.

A tsunami warning also was extended to the US state of Hawaii, with the National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center saying a tsunami from the quake had been generated that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands.

A tsunami “watch” was issued for portions of the West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake was shallow at a depth of 19.3 km (12 miles), and was centred about 125 km (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 165,000 along the coast of Avacha Bay. It revised the magnitude up twice from 8.0 and 8.7 to 8.8 earlier.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s disaster management agency has warned that the country’s coastal areas could expect “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore”.

In a national advisory alert, Civil Defence New Zealand said there was no immediate need to evacuate but said citizens should stay away from beaches and shore areas.

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Trump claims Epstein ‘stole’ Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre from his Mar-a-Lago resort

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Trump claims Epstein 'stole' Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre from his Mar-a-Lago resort

Donald Trump has claimed billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein “stole” prominent accuser Virginia Giuffre and other young women from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Ms Giuffre became a household name after she sued Prince Andrew for sexual abuse in August 2021 – saying he had sex with her when she was 17 and had been trafficked by his friend Epstein.

Prince Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre but has repeatedly denied the claims and has not been charged with any criminal offences.

Mr Trump made his remarks about Ms Giuffre as his administration has faced growing pressure in recent weeks, including from within his “MAGA” base, to release files related to Epstein after he promised to do so during his 2024 presidential campaign.

The US president was speaking to reporters on Tuesday when he was asked about comments he made over the weekend about a falling-out with Epstein over employees taken from his business.

“He took people that worked for me. And I told him, ‘Don’t do it anymore.’ And he did it,” Mr Trump told reporters while on board Air Force One as he returned to the US from Scotland.

“I said, ‘Stay the hell out of here’,” the US president added.

Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts in 2001. Pic: Shutterstock 

Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts, aged 17, and Ghislaine Maxwell at Ghislaine Maxwell's townhouse in London, Britain on March 13 2001

2001
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Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre in 2001. Pic: Shutterstock

Pressed about whether any of the employees he referred to were young women, Mr Trump said many of them worked in the spa at Mar-a-Lago.

“The answer is yes, they were in the spa,” he said. “I told him, I said, ‘Listen, we don’t want you taking our people, whether it was spa or not spa.’ … And he was fine. And then not too long after that, he did it again.”

Asked if Ms Giuffre was one of the employees poached by Epstein, the US president replied: “I think she worked at the spa… I think so. I think that was one of the people. He stole her, and by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever.”

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Trump dismisses Epstein ‘witch hunt’

The White House said in a statement last week that Mr Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he was acting like a “creep”.

Epstein took his own life in a Manhattan prison cell in August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

On Tuesday, lawyer’s for his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison for recruiting young girls for the financier, said that they are open to her answering more questions from US Congress if she is granted immunity from future prosecution.

However a spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee, which requested the interview with Maxwell, said the panel would not consider granting the immunity she requested.

Undated picture of Ghislaine Maxwell with Jeffrey Epstein. File pic: US Department of Justice
Image:
Undated picture of Ghislaine Maxwell with Jeffrey Epstein. File pic: US Department of Justice

The former British socialite was interviewed inside a Florida courthouse by US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last week.

Officials have not publicly disclosed what she said.

Mr Blanche had earlier said that Maxwell would be interviewed because of Mr Trump’s directive to gather and release any credible evidence about others who may have committed crimes in relation to the Epstein case.

Separately, Maxwell’s lawyers have urged the Supreme Court to review her conviction, saying she did not receive a fair trial.

They also say that one way she would testify “openly and honestly, in public”, is in the event of a pardon by Mr Trump, who has told reporters that such a move is within his rights but that he has not been not asked to make it.

File pic: AP
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Virginia Giuffre in 2019. File pic: AP

What had Ms Giuffre said about Mar-a-Lago?

Ms Giuffre, who took her own life in April, claimed Maxwell spotted her while she was working as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago when she was a teenager in 2000.

She added that Maxwell hired her as Epstein’s masseuse, which led to sexual abuse.

She accused Epstein of pressuring her into having sex with powerful men.

Why is the Epstein case such a problem for Trump?

Rumours have circulated since Epstein’s death about who he may have supplied underage girls to and who visited his private island.

Some of those rumours quickly spiralled into conspiracy theories, which Mr Trump fanned the flames of during his campaign for a second term.

Mr Trump promised to release more Epstein files to the public if he was elected president for a second time – but is now facing a backlash from his voter base after carrying out a complete U-turn on the move.

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