Explosives trigger' found next to body of shooter

POLICE discovered a remote detonator on the body of the gunman who shot former President Donald Trump, it has emerged.

-  Mark Reynolds

As US law enforcement officers searched Thomas Crooks, shortly after he was shot dead by Secret Service snipers, they found the detonator alongside his mobile phone.

A picture published online yesterday showed the rectangular grey device with a keypad similar to a television remote control, lying next to the gunman's cellphone.

It was also reported that investigating FBI agents recovered explosive materials inside the 20-year-old's car.

They are believed to have been connected to the detonator.

FBI agents are examining the theory that Crooks may have been planning to set off the explosives as a diversion before shooting the ex-US leader at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. But it is not known why he then chose not to set them off. Investigators have yet to figure out a motive for Crooks, who had a minimal social media presence, and are hoping his phone may hold some clues.

Additionally, they found a bulletproof vest, three fully-loaded magazines containing around 100 bullets, and two remote-controlled explosive devices in his car.