Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed onto a rooftop at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and opened fire, killing one person and injuring several others, including former President Donald Trump, Fox News has learned. A few days ago, he apparently teased an attack online.
Secret Service and FBI officials told U.S. senators during a full House briefing on Wednesday, July 17, that Crooks, 20, was in the game days before the July 13 stabbing in Butler, Pennsylvania. A threatening message was written on the platform “Steam,” Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich reports.
“July 13th will be my premiere, so stay tuned,” Crooks allegedly wrote, according to officials.
“Steam” is a popular platform for tens of millions of gamers to purchase games and communicate. The discovery came as investigators continued to review Crooks’ technology, including his cellphone and laptop.
Secret Service continues to face questions as FBI investigates Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks
The launcher and cellphone of Trump shooter Thomas Crooks, obtained by WPXI. (WPXI/AFP Handout/Gene J. Puskar of The Associated Press)
The top U.S. security official told senators on Wednesday that when investigators examined the laptops, they found some searches in July: Trump, Biden, the time of the Democratic National Committee convention and a July 13 Trump rally.
Senators who spoke to Fox News after the meeting said investigators found no evidence of any specific ideology on the laptop that the FBI deemed noteworthy, and that no one in the interview reported that Crooks discussed it. politics.
Senators also learned the suspect had two cellphones. The main telephone and remote transmitter were recovered from the scene.
Parents of Trump shooter called police hours before assassination attempt
A second phone found at home had only 27 contacts on it. They told senators the FBI was tracking and interviewing the men.
Former President Donald Trump, 2024 Republican presidential candidate, is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents during a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The development comes just hours after it was learned that Crooks’ parents contacted law enforcement hours before Saturday’s assassination attempt.
The would-be assassin’s parents told local police that Crooks was missing and they feared for his safety, a source told Fox News.
On Monday, July 15, 2024, FBI agents conducted an investigation into the community of Thomas Matthew Crooks in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. (Derek Shook, Fox News Digital)
It was unclear whether they knew he owned an AR-15 rifle that belonged to his father.
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Police did not say what action they took after they were contacted.
Fox News’ Rebecca Rosenberg, Jack Gibson and David Spunt contributed to this report.
