Trump Rally Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks 'Ripped Off Kill Plan From Day of the Jackal' — Says Writer Of Hitman Classic Frederick Forsyth
Donald Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks allegedly stole his botched assassination plot from author Frederick Forsyth's 1971 hitman novel The Day of the Jackal.
Oct. 4 2024, Published 2:45 p.m. ET
Donald Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks has been accused of ripping his sinister assassination plot off from a movie more than 50 years old.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Crooks, who was shot to death by a Secret Service sniper after firing eight shots at former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, allegedly lifted his deadly scheme from writer Frederick Forsyth's 1971 hitman classic The Day of the Jackal.
Forsyth, 86, said: "That young fellow they shot dead was doing something very similar to what the Jackal did."
Forsyth has discussed the similarities between his novel and Crooks' assassination attempt on former President Trump's life in Butler on July 13.
He continued: "Long-range, high elevation on a roof with a sniper scope and a rifle. Wait for the appearance. It very nearly worked.
"If Trump hadn't moved his face just a bit, the bullet would have gone through the forehead."
The Day of the Jackal, which was later adapted into a film with the same title in 1973, focuses on an infamous hitman dubbed 'The Jackal' intent on assassinating French President Charles de Gaulle in 1963.
The Jackal, like Crooks in Butler on July 13, failed to hit his target because de Gaulle "bent forward" just as the bullet was fired.
Crooks (left) was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper moments after striking Trump in his right ear.
Forsyth told The Sun: "Being an Englishman, the Jackal had overlooked a tradition the French have when medal giving, called 'la bis', the kiss on the cheeks.
"A short man and a tall president, so de Gaulle bent forward and the bullet went past the back of the head, which, of course, never happened in real life."
As RadarOnline.com reported, Forsyth's remarks about the similarities between his titular hitman and Trump would-be assassin Crooks come nearly three months after the 20-year-old math geek loner from Bethel Park tried to kill the 44th U.S. president.
Crooks climbed to the roof of the factory while Trump, 78, was giving a campaign rally and fired off eight bullets from his father's AR-15-style rifle.
This is the AR-15-style rifle Crooks used to try to assassinate Trump on July 13.
One bullet whizzed through the air and struck Trump in his right ear. A second bullet struck and killed 50-year-old rally attendee Corey Comperatore. Two other Trump supporters were seriously injured.
The FBI is still investigating the assassination attempt on Trump's life. The bureau is also still working to uncover Crooks' motive.
Meanwhile, Forsyth's comparison of his 1971 classic to the shooting on July 13 comes as Trump announces his plans to return to Butler, Pennsylvania this weekend for another campaign 2024 rally.
Trump's return to the site of the assassination attempt comes nearly three months after he was almost killed there – and less than one month after another suspected shooter, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, is accused of trying to kill the former president at his West Palm Beach, Florida golf course on September 15.
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Trump's ear was hit but bullet during first assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
The former president said: "I'm going back to Butler because I feel I have an obligation to go back to Butler.
"We never finished what we were supposed to do. I said that day, when I was shot, I said, 'We're coming back. We're going to come back.'
"And I'm fulfilling a promise. I'm fulfilling, really, an obligation."
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