Key Points
Thomas Matthew Crooks flew the drone on a programmed flight path earlier on July 13 to survey the Butler Farm Show grounds ahead of Donald Trump's rally.. Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate US presidential candidate Donald Trump, managed to fly a drone and capture aerial footage of the western Pennsylvania fairgrounds shortly before the former president's scheduled speech, The Wall Street Journal reported citing to law enforcement officials..
The incident highlights significant security lapses leading up to the near-fatal attack on Donald Trump, it reported.P)..
The predetermined path indicates that Thomas Matthew Crooks likely flew the drone multiple times to gather information about the event site..
The report added that Crooks began researching the rally site soon after the Trump campaign announced the event on July 3 and registered for it on July 7..
Investigators found these rudimentary explosives in Crooks' car parked near the grounds, along with a ballistic vest containing three 30-round magazines, suggesting he intended to cause more significant harm, the WSJ report added..
