ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday outlined the findings of its investigation into the 2024 assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump, concluding that there was “no foreign connection,” despite initial reports suggesting Iranian involvement.

During a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania July 2024, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on Trump while he was at the podium, grazing Trump’s right ear before being shot dead by a Secret Service sniper. 

FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy Director Dan Bongino, and a senior official speaking on condition of anonymity revealed the bureau’s findings in an exclusive to Fox News, with Bongino saying they concluded that Crooks had “acted alone.”

“There is no information, no evidence anywhere in this investigation, that shows there was any foreign individual or foreign government or foreign organization tied to Thomas Crooks,” Fox cited the anonymous official as saying.

Days after the attack, CNN reported that the Secret Service had increased Trump’s security detail weeks before the rally, after obtaining information about an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the American leader, but noted that there was no indication the plot was related to Crooks’ attempt.

The FBI official stressed that in Crooks' case, “there is no foreign connection,” adding that “there is no individual that is outside US borders or inside US borders that had any role in directing him, inspiring him or assisting him in any way — and that includes foreign governments,”

They noted that Crooks had registered for the Butler rally a week before the attack and searched “how far was Oswald from Kennedy?”, referring to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald, along with the weather, podium location, and directions to the venue and nearest hospital. Crooks “left no manifesto” and “gave no indication” of his motive, according to the FBI.

Patel said the bureau has fully briefed President Trump at the White House, providing him with “all of the details of the investigation.”

Crooks used a .223 rifle in the attack, which was kept in a gun vault controlled by his father, the report added.

Bongino emphasised that while Crooks may have had connections with others, they played “no role in inspiring, motivating, or directing the attack.”

In November 2024, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that an asset of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was charged with directing a network of associates involved in assassination plots, including a plan targeting Trump, highlighting Tehran’s alleged efforts to target American figures through covert operations.

The Iranian foreign ministry denied Washington’s accusations and labelled them as a “disgusting conspiracy.”