FBI says it knows how shooting suspect slipped through Trump event security, shares when info will be released
Patel says he will present findings alongside Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at a press conference Monday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The FBI has already "answered" a slew of questions crucial to the probe of the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner shooting, agency Director Kash Patel revealed, telling Fox News the details will be laid out in a forthcoming criminal complaint and shared publicly at a press conference later Monday.
"I received a full briefing yesterday morning from our BAU [Behavioral Analysis Unit]," Patel shared with "Fox & Friends."
"What that does is not necessarily provide direct evidence to be utilized in court, but it examines what we have collected so far to include emails, social media postings, witness interviews, interviews with people, family, friends and neighbors, so we can provide a complete picture of this individual's mindset and intent when we make the presentment in court," he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington on April 21. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
Agents have been working "all weekend" to piece together the information, Patel shared, adding the agency is currently going through and is in the process of finalizing content compiled since the incident.
More specifically, Patel said investigators know when and how the suspect, 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen of Torrance, California, arrived at the Washington Hilton hotel, how he got down to the area in question and how he was "able to get through security undetected."
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Cole Allen is shown in a graduation gown alongside a suspect detained by law enforcement after a security incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25. (Getty Images)
"We have all those questions answered, and that's why I wanted to present with the [acting] attorney general [Todd Blanche] at the press conference later today, once the magistrate has certified or signed off on the criminal complaint..." Patel said.
"This is something the movies don't even write about, something like this, this kind of scenario, this kind of tragedy, and thankfully, the quick reaction of law enforcement... we're gonna be able to present to the world in less than 36 hours almost exactly what happened — this individual's entire background... who he knew, where he lived, who he was talking to, everything about the firearms, everything about ballistics," he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"As you saw, our evidence response teams were on scene so fast. That is the reason we are going to be able to present to you this material."
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Pressed by co-host Lawrence Jones on whether Allen was known and profiled before the incident, Patel deferred to what will soon be disclosed to the public, noting that he is unable to "get ahead" of the Justice Department and the federal magistrate as details are prepared for public release.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We have answered all those questions, and that's what we've been working towards. America deserves answers. President Trump has committed to transparency and accountability, and what we are doing with the team that the president has assembled is answering those questions in record speed," he reiterated.