Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man the FBI says tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump, “saved images” of the former Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, according to NPR.
“Crooks had saved images of President Biden, Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales,” NPR wrote. He also searched for “dates of Trump speaking events as well as the Democratic National Convention” and the term “major depressive order,” NPR reported, adding that the information came from a briefing the FBI gave to members of Congress.
The FBI has not publicly confirmed the report. The UK Telegraph also reported that Crooks “had searched online for various high-profile figures as he ‘scoped out’ the target for assassination, including an unnamed member of the British Royal family,” attributing it to a briefing the FBI gave members of Congress.
Crooks had a “disturbing fascination with British royalty, particularly with Princess Kate Middleton,” OK! Magazine reported, labeling it an “obsession.”
The FBI wrote in a statement, “The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania.”
Thomas Matthew Crooks Had 2 Cell Phones, Reports Say
GettyKate Middleton.
According to NPR, Crooks, who was killed at the rally scene by a sniper, had two cell phones, a “primary phone and a second that was found at his home.”
The Washington Post reported that Crooks was a registered Republican who had made a $15 donation “to a progressive group” as his motive remained elusive. The donation is confirmed on the website of the Federal Election Commission. The Post also confirmed that Crooks had images of “a member of the British royal family” on his phone but did not name that member.
“Crooks had researched Oxford High shooter Ethan Crumbley as well as his mother and father,” the Post noted.
“This is a person likely trying to make headlines, going out in a final act,” said Jillian Peterson, co-founder of the Violence Prevention Project told The Washington Post. “This is the thing that they’re going to be seen for.”
The FBI Confirmed That the Agency Was Able to Access the Phone of Thomas Matthew Crooks
GettyFBI Director Christopher A. Wray testifies while flanked by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, on October 10, 2018, in Washington, DC.
The FBI confirmed that it was able to access Crook’s phone but did not publicly reveal what was on it. “FBI technical specialists successfully gained access to Thomas Matthew Crooks’ phone, and they continue to analyze his electronic devices,” the FBI wrote in a July 15 statement.
On July 14, the FBI wrote that the motive was not clear, writing, “The FBI has not identified a motive for the shooter’s actions, but we are working to determine the sequence of events and the shooter’s movements prior to the shooting, collecting and reviewing evidence, conducting interviews, and following up on all leads. We have also obtained the shooter’s telephone for examination.”
Trump revealed in a Truth Social post that he was shot in the ear during the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Trump wrote in the post.
Wray said in a statement and news conference, “The shooter may be deceased, but the investigation is very much ongoing. And, because of that, we are limited in what we say at this point.”
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