Pittsburgh – The FBI told reporters on Monday that the family of would-be presidential assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks was “not concerned” about the numerous packages he received at his home because he had a long-standing interest in “science” and “experiments.”
According to police authorities, Crooks, 20, made 25 online purchases of firearms-related items and six purchases of materials to make explosives between the spring of 2023 and the first half of this year, all under false names. On July 13, Crooks opened fire at a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, wounding the former president and two others and killing firefighter Corey Comperatore.
“The perpetrator had a long-standing interest in science and other subjects and had been conducting experiments for a long time,” said Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office. [his family] I wasn’t worried [the packages] He was focused on aggression of a nature that was intended to harm other people.”
“Everything he was doing was online,” Rojek said. “He wasn’t stockpiling ammunition. He wasn’t doing anything at home that would significantly raise his parents’ suspicions.”
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Thomas Matthew Crookes (Courtesy of AFP)
“From the first night we made contact, the parents were very supportive,” Rojek said.
“The parents stated in interviews that they had no prior knowledge of this incident, which we believe to be plausible at this stage, pending further investigation,” Rojek said. “Again, we are not ruling out any possibilities regarding what was in the home.”
This photo shows the home of 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania on July 15, 2024. (Reuters/Carlos Osorio)
The CIA announcement came shortly after Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, was seen on Monday leaving a Pittsburgh office building that houses two law firms. He did not answer reporters’ questions about whether the family noticed any warning signs before his son tried to take the former president’s life.
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Matthew Crooks, father of attempted assassin of President Trump, Thomas Crooks, waits outside an office building housing two law firms in Pittsburgh on July 29, 2024. (DWS for Fox News Digital)
The FBI said Crooks’ “main social circle was [was] His family.”
“We were only able to identify a few people who could be called his friends, and most of those contacts actually had known dates,” Rojek said.
“Even on his gaming platforms, he has barely been seen interacting with others, which is definitely different from what we normally see, especially for gamers. To date, we have not found anyone really close to him in any kind of social circle.”
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Matthew Crooks leaves an office building in Pittsburgh on July 29, 2024. He did not respond to questions about whether his family noticed any warning signs before his son, Thomas Crooks, plotted to assassinate former President Trump this month. (DWS for Fox News Digital)
Rojek said police behavioral analysts believe Crooks was “highly intelligent,” had attended college and had a stable job.
“We still believe he was a solitary person when it comes to his friendships and other activities related to his mental state.”
FBI agents said Crooks never sought professional help and was not prescribed any medication.
They continue to assess Crooks’ social media accounts from various devices.
FBI agents visited the Bethel Park, Pennsylvania home of attempted assassination of President Trump, Thomas Crook. (AFP/Reuters/Aaron Jozefczyk)
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Investigators said the attackers searched the Internet for topics related to power plants, mass shootings, information about improvised explosive devices, U.S. officials and the attempted assassination of Slovakia’s prime minister earlier this year.
