FBI officials told members of Congress on Wednesday that Thomas Matthew Crooks posted an alarming message on the Steam gaming platform days before his assassination attempt on Donald Trump, several media outlets have reported.
On July 13, Trump narrowly avoided death at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a would-be assassin’s bullet nicked his ear. Firing from a rooftop around 500 feet (150 meters) from the stage, the shooter killed one attendee and wounded two others before he was killed by Secret Service snipers. The FBI had previously named Crooks as the shooter, but had not shared any information about his probable motive.
“July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds,” the 20-year-old wrote on Steam, a popular platform that allows online gamers to purchase games and communicate.
Investigators who analyzed Crooks’ laptop reportedly found searches for phrases including “Trump,” “Biden,” “when is DNC convention,” and “July 13 Trump rally.” It was stated that no evidence of any particular ideology was discovered on the laptop, and nobody in investigative interviews recalled Crooks discussing politics.
The suspect reportedly owned two cell phones, one of which was found at the scene along with a remote transmitter. The second phone, which had only 27 contacts, was recovered at Crooks’ home. According to Fox News, the FBI is currently in the process of tracking down and interviewing them.
According to experts quoted by the news outlet, the suspect had an account on the encrypted Discord app, suggesting that Crooks preferred anonymous interactions to real-world relationships.
A spokesperson for the platform told the media that the account had not been used for months, and showed no signs that it had been used by Crooks to plan the attack, promote violence, or discuss political views.
Investigators also highlighted some of the searches on one of the cell phones, saying that he had looked up “major depressive disorder,” the New York Times reported, citing a person briefed on the matter.
According to a federal law enforcement memo obtained by the newspaper, Crooks received multiple packages, including several marked “hazardous material,” over the past several months.