ALBAWABA - The way in which Thomas Matthew Crooks' body was handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has drawn harsh criticism from Congressman Clay Higgins.
Shortly after the event, Crooks, who was involved in an abortive attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump, had his body returned to his family and cremated—a gesture that Higgins calls "unprecedented."
Higgins has revealed that Crooks' body was incinerated ten days after the event in a report to the "July 13 Task Force," which was formed to look into security failures during the assassination attempt. He called the FBI's removal of biological evidence from the murder scene "an extraordinary and troubling action" and denounced them for doing so.
Higgins voiced doubts about the autopsy's correctness, saying that although records and images would be examined, he is still unsure of their veracity in light of his own physical assessment of the corpse. He said that the FBI's actions may hinder current investigations.
The congressman pointed out that the cremation of Crooks' remains was not made public until August 5. He pointed out that Crooks had positioned himself well on a rooftop to evade retaliation and said that Crooks' weapon was probably damaged by gunfire from a SWAT officer who had shot from around ninety meters away. According to Higgins, the last round went through Crooks' right ear and out of his mouth.
The FBI's Pittsburgh office responded by justifying its actions in a statement. The statement refuted claims of meddling and insisted that customary protocols were adhered to when handling and maintaining the crime scene.
It stressed that all investigation operations were documented and that the property was gradually returned to its owners in accordance with standard protocol. The statement also provided comfort in knowing that handling Crooks' body followed standard procedures.
The background of the incident is that on July 13, an attempt was made to kill former President Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. There were two injuries and one fatality from the attack. The FBI subsequently identified the assailant as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, after the U.S. Secret Service verified that the perpetrator had been eliminated.
