The man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump was a maths nerd and an outcast at school where he was relentlessly bullied, it has emerged.
Thomas Crooks, 20, worked for a nursing home helping with meals, and growing up had been mocked for dressing up in hunting gear, former friends claimed.
He was registered as a Republican but three years ago was also said to have donated to a Left-aligned political organisation.
The FBI found explosive devices in his car, which he brought to the Trump rally, and his home, which they were searching last night.
He is not thought to have ties to international terrorists, but agents are investigating links to domestic terrorism.
The gun that Crooks used –an AR-15 style assault rifle – had been purchased by his father, sources said.
Crooks grew up in Bethel Park , Pennsylvania, a relatively affluent, predominantly white suburb of Pittsburgh, about 42 miles (67km) away from Butler.
He was employed as a ‘dietary aide’ at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation. his family home is a $383,000AUD detached property where he lived with his mother, father and older sister Katie, 22.
Crooks graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park high School, and that year received a $500 ‘star award’ from the National Maths and Science Initiative.
A video of his graduation shows him getting a smaller round of applause than other students.
His awkwardness was apparent in yearbook photos.
Former fellow student Jason Kohler, 21, said Crooks didn’t fit in at school and had a “target on his back”.
He said: “He was bullied almost every day. he’d sit alone at lunch, he was just an outcast.
“I’d say he was a loner, he was quiet. he was bullied so much. So much. They made fun of the way he dressed’.
Crooks would come to school in military or ‘hunting’ gear, Mr Kohler added. Sarah D’Angelo, another former classmate of Crooks, added: ‘he never spoke about his political views or how much he hated Trump or anything’.
When reached by CNN, Crook’ father, Matthew Crooks, said he was trying to figure out ‘what the hell is going on’. He said he would “wait until I talk to law enforcement” before speaking further
Source Agencies
