The 20-year-old loner who plotted to assassinate former President Trump on Saturday had an account on the encrypted Discord app, a sign he preferred anonymous interactions to real-world relationships, experts told Fox News Digital.
A spokesperson for the platform confirmed that Thomas Matthew Crooks had an account and that it was disabled by Discord following the assassination attempt that injured President Trump and killed a rally attendee.
“The account has seen little activity and has not been used for several months. We have found no evidence that the account was used to plan this incident, incite violence, or discuss his political views,” the spokesperson said. “Discord strongly condemns violence of any kind, including political violence, and will continue to work closely with law enforcement.”
Fox News learned late Wednesday that Crooks had posted an ominous message on the gaming platform Steam that read, “July 13th is my debut date. Watch as it unfolds.” Crooks’ laptop also had search history in early July for Trump, Biden, the date of the Democratic National Convention and a July 13 Trump rally.
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Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who plotted to assassinate former President Trump on Saturday, had an account on the encrypted app Discord. (Courtesy of AFP)
Jim Clemente, a former FBI agent and behavioral analysis expert, said Discord communities are particularly popular among gamers and Crooks’ use was not surprising.
“It’s encrypted, so it does provide a degree of privacy and anonymity,” he said, “so people who feel disenfranchised, lonely people who feel bullied, those kinds of people typically spend more time interacting with others online than in the real world because their real-world experiences have been so negative.”
Crooks, who graduated from Bethel Park High School in Pennsylvania in 2022, was relentlessly bullied because of his appearance and awkward social skills, classmates have told multiple media outlets.
One colleague told me that she would often sit alone at lunch and be teased mercilessly.
“I’m not surprised he has a Discord account as opposed to a Facebook account, because the Facebook account is very interactive, very picture-based, very social,” Clemente said. “Discord is a more private form of communication.”
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is seen moments after shots rang out during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
Former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole also highlighted Discord’s popularity among avid video game players and said Crooks may have been a regular gamer.
“It’s a fantasy world,” she says. “They live in it and feel like they’re some great person. If he was really active, that would be great, but the fact that he wasn’t means we don’t know much about him. He was someone you’d just walk past without blinking. He was very unremarkable.”
Mr O’Toole also noted that Mr Crooks’ abilities appear to be very limited. Social media Footprint.
“If they were being bullied physically at school, they wouldn’t risk being bullied online,” she says. “It’s called social media for a reason – it’s about interacting with other people in society. This kid was lonely and probably being bullied badly because of the way he looked and the way he dressed.”
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Suspect Thomas Matthews Crooks opened fire on former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. (Google Maps/Handouts/Wire)
O’Toole said young people who outwardly remain silent are often infuriated inside.
“It’s the quiet kids who you don’t know what’s going on that you have to worry about,” she said. “That statement applies exactly to this situation. The police have confiscated his computer. They’ve confiscated his phone. His parents are very supportive. If he’s the kind of person who writes down his thoughts in any way, that will become clear.”
Clemente said his parents, both of whom are counselors, don’t seem to realize the depth of their son’s emotional pain.
Crooks likely knew he wouldn’t get out of the incident alive, he said.
“I think he knew he wasn’t going to survive this and he wanted to make as much of an impact as possible in the process,” he said. “I know he probably felt lucky that an opportunity came up so close to home and that he was able to take advantage of it.”
Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks’ parents were registered with professional counselors in Pennsylvania: records
Thomas Matthew Crooks is set to graduate from Bethel Park High School in Pennsylvania in 2022. (Source: Fox News Digital)
Crooks opened fire from the roof of a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, slicing off President Trump’s right ear and killing volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore.
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Two others were wounded before a Secret Service agent shot and killed Crooks.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
