Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, made his final search for pornography before the Pennsylvania rally shooting last weekend, according to a new report. A senior law enforcement official told the Daily Beast that the FBI found this when they gained access to the 20-year-old’s encrypted Samsung phone.
Crooks had also searched for Princess of Wales online prior to his attempt to kill Trump. He had also downloaded photos of the future queen, FBI analysis of his two phones and laptop show. Police found his apparent obsession with the British royal family after searching Crooks home and seizing his electronic devices following his attack last Saturday.
Loner Searching Porn
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Initial efforts to access the Android device at the Pittsburgh field office were unsuccessful, and the phone had to be sent to Quantico for agents to finally examine it, the source said. The only other recent activity found by the FBI on the phone was texts from Crooks’ parents asking about his whereabouts.
The messages began around 1 p.m. and continued throughout the afternoon.
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Crooks’ parents apparently thought their son had taken one of his father’s AR-15 rifles and gone to a local shooting range.
Around 6 p.m., Crooks opened fire at the Trump rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds, grazing Trump’s ear and killing one rally attendee while critically injuring two others.
Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper. “By 6 pm he was dead,” the source told the Daily Beast.
Oakland County Sheriff’s Office
Agents discovered four rifle magazines near Crooks’ body, along with a remote control that could detonate the explosives found in his car.
Six days after the assassination attempt, the FBI has largely completed their review of Crooks’ phone and is now examining his laptop and hard drives that were found in his bedroom.
Searched Mass Shooters Before Attack
Investigators have uncovered a concerning online history that includes searches for Ethan Crumbley, the Oxford High School shooter, and other mass shooters, according to law enforcement sources who spoke to The New York Post.
Reuters
Crooks’ phone also contained a photo of the mass shooter taken shortly after his arrest, as well as information about Crumbley’s parents, who have been convicted of involuntary manslaughter for their failure to prevent their son’s rampage, as reported by CNN.
Police found his apparent obsession with the British royal family after searching Crooks home and seizing his electronic devices following his attack in Pennsylvania last Saturday.
National Public Radio reported that the 20-year-old gunman had images of the Princess of Wales on his phone, a detail that sources close to the investigation have confirmed to DailyMail.com.
Crooks searched for information about the 42-year-old royal as well as Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and US Attorney General Merrick Garland.
On his devices, FBI also found searches for the dates of Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he eventually attempted his assassination.
Investigators also found searches for the dates of the Democratic National Convention, as they revealed in a private briefing with lawmakers. Additionally, photos of Biden and Trump were found among Crooks’ materials.
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Authorities are now investigating whether Crooks aimed to carry out a mass-casualty attack, with Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania being a nearby target of opportunity.
The discovery of pornography searches on Crooks’ phone was described as “not unusual” by a source speaking to the Daily Beast.
For instance, Sandy Hook elementary school shooter Adam Lanza had images of child abuse on his phone, and al-Qaeda suspects have been found to have searched for extremely disturbing pornography, the source noted.
