Days before he attempted a shot at former US President Donald Trump‘s life at a rally in Pennsylvania, Thomas Matthew Crooks, the assassin who killed one person and injured others before being shot dead by the Secret Service, apparently posted a chilling message making his sinister intentions clear.
According to multiple media reports, the individual who climbed onto a roof and opened fire at a Pennsylvania campaign rally had posted a threatening message on the gaming platform “Steam,” stating, “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.”
The shooter also carried images of both Donald Trump and President Biden on his phone and had searched the dates for the Democratic National Convention and Trump’s Pennsylvania rally.
Steam is a widely used platform where millions of gamers purchase games and communicate.
Investigators, while examining the suspect’s technological devices, including cell phones and a laptop, discovered this message. On reviewing the laptop, they found searches conducted in July for topics like Trump, Biden, the DNC convention schedule, and the July 13 Trump rally. America’s top security officials relayed this information to senators on Wednesday.
No evidence of a specific ideology was found on the laptop, which the FBI considers significant. Senators were quoted as telling media that none of the interviewees reported hearing the suspect discuss politics.
The suspect possessed two cell phones. The primary phone was recovered at the scene, along with a remote transmitter. A second cell phone, found at the suspect’s home, contained only 27 contacts. The FBI is currently in the process of locating and interviewing these individuals.
NYP reported that Crooks visited a shooting range, and also stopped at Home Depot and a gun store, where he purchased 50 rounds of ammunition and a 5-foot ladder ahead of the attack.
The development also came just hours after it was revealed that the suspect’s parents had contacted law enforcement on Saturday, expressing concern for his welfare after he went missing.
According to multiple media reports, the individual who climbed onto a roof and opened fire at a Pennsylvania campaign rally had posted a threatening message on the gaming platform “Steam,” stating, “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.”
The shooter also carried images of both Donald Trump and President Biden on his phone and had searched the dates for the Democratic National Convention and Trump’s Pennsylvania rally.
Steam is a widely used platform where millions of gamers purchase games and communicate.
Investigators, while examining the suspect’s technological devices, including cell phones and a laptop, discovered this message. On reviewing the laptop, they found searches conducted in July for topics like Trump, Biden, the DNC convention schedule, and the July 13 Trump rally. America’s top security officials relayed this information to senators on Wednesday.
No evidence of a specific ideology was found on the laptop, which the FBI considers significant. Senators were quoted as telling media that none of the interviewees reported hearing the suspect discuss politics.
The suspect possessed two cell phones. The primary phone was recovered at the scene, along with a remote transmitter. A second cell phone, found at the suspect’s home, contained only 27 contacts. The FBI is currently in the process of locating and interviewing these individuals.
NYP reported that Crooks visited a shooting range, and also stopped at Home Depot and a gun store, where he purchased 50 rounds of ammunition and a 5-foot ladder ahead of the attack.
The development also came just hours after it was revealed that the suspect’s parents had contacted law enforcement on Saturday, expressing concern for his welfare after he went missing.
Source Agencies
