Minutes before the shots were fired, Thomas Matthew Crooks took a screenshot of the broadcast of Trump’s speech in Pennsylvania. Minutes later, he had failed to assassinate the Republican presidential candidate and had been shot dead himself.
One of the visitors died in the shooting and two others were seriously injured.
After a week, the FBI has finally managed to search the 20-year-old’s phone. There, among other things, they have found specific searches for when both Trump and President Biden would speak, reports CNN.
Flew drones over the area
More general searches about the two presidential candidates were also found in the search history. According to information to NBC News Crooks flew a camera-equipped drone over the area earlier in the day of the assassination attempt. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report.
But despite the FBI’s insight into Thomas Matthew Crook’s digital life and what he did before, there is no clear motive why he would want to kill Donald Trump.
According to CNN, the investigators have not found much that points to political or ideological intentions behind the attack.
No manifesto had been submitted. However, they have tried to build a profile of him with the help of behavioral experts – and concluded that he may have had plans for something even bigger.
Searched for the school killer
A possible theory that has grown stronger is that Crooks wanted to carry out a mass shooting and that Trump’s speech was the best opportunity, according to him.
Thomas Matthew Crooks had also searched for Ethan Crumbley, who shot dead four classmates in Michigan in 2021.
Family members and people around Crook described him as quiet and a loner. However, he should not have shown any signs that he was planning an attack. In April, he searched websites for information on depression and depressive crisis treatment. He has also researched how to make explosive charges – which was later found in his car.
Even more explosive devices were found in the family’s home – along with 14 registered firearms.