According to information obtained by Fox News, suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks appeared to be threatening an attack online days before he climbed onto the roof of a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and opened fire, killing one person and wounding several others, including former President Donald Trump.
Secret Service and FBI officials told senators at an all-party briefing on Wednesday that Crooks, 20, had posted a threatening message on the gaming platform Steam days before the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, Fox News’ Jackie Heinrich reported.
“July 13th is my premiere. Wait and see what happens,” Crooks wrote, according to officials.
The revelation came as investigators continued to examine Steam, a popular platform where tens of millions of gamers buy and communicate with each other, including Crooks’ phone, laptop and other tech devices.
Secret Service continues to face questions as FBI investigates Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks
Trump shooter Thomas Crooks’ transmitter and cell phone obtained by WPXI. (WPXI/AFP Handout/Jean J. Puskar for The Associated Press)
Investigators examined the laptop and found several searches in July relating to Trump, Biden, when the Democratic National Convention was and a Trump rally on July 13, a top US security official told senators on Wednesday.
Senators who spoke to Fox News after the meetings said investigators did not find evidence of a particular ideology on the laptop, which the FBI considered noteworthy, and that none of them reported that Crooks discussed politics during their interviews.
Senators also found that the suspect had two mobile phones in his possession, with the main one recovered from the scene along with a remote transmitter.
Trump shooter’s parents called police hours before assassination attempt
A second cell phone found in the home had only 27 contacts, and the FBI told senators they were being tracked down and questioned.
Former 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The development came just hours after it emerged that Crooks’ parents had contacted police just hours before Saturday’s assassination attempt.
The would-be assassin’s parents told local police he was missing and they were worried about his safety, sources told Fox News.
On Monday, July 15, 2024, FBI agents searched the neighborhood of Thomas Matthew Crooks in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
It remains unclear whether they knew he was in possession of an AR-15 rifle that belonged to his father.
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Police have not disclosed what action they took after being contacted.
Fox News’ Rebecca Rosenberg, Jake Gibson and David Spunt contributed to this report.
