FBI: Trump Gunman Had Foreign Encrypted Apps and Photo of Michigan School Shooter

The FBI has revealed several more details about the 20-year-old would-be assassin who nearly killed former President Donald Trump, including connections to other mass shooters and the presence of unusual apps on his devices.

Just The News reports that Thomas Matthew Crooks used three different encrypted messaging apps based out of Germany, Brussels, and New Zealand, respectively. He also had the arrest photo of Ethan Crumbley, the perpetrator of the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan in 2021, as well as further information on Crumbley, including details about his parents.

These details come from the FBI’s investigation of Crooks’ cell phone, which had over 14,000 images on it. The phone contained multiple stock images of firearms and other weapons, as well as news articles about various government figures. The phone also had a screenshot of then-live coverage of the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13th; the screenshot was saved at 6:01 PM EST, just 10 minutes before Crooks began firing from a rooftop about 130 yards away from Trump’s stage.

The FBI further revealed details of their investigation in a closed-door briefing, providing a stark contrast to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who testified before the House Oversight Committee on Monday but refused to give any specifics, instead deferring to the FBI for questioning.

According to the FBI, the Secret Service conducted its first site survey of the Butler Farms fairgrounds on July 8th; this survey included the AGR industrial building, the roof from which Crooks fired his shots. Crooks visited the site on July 7th, then again at about 10:30 AM EST on July 13th. He left the site to retrieve his weapon and buy some ammunition, then returned to the rally.

The FBI said that the Secret Service was first warned about a “suspicious person” at the event at 5:51 PM, about 20 minutes before the shots began. The information was passed on to the counter-sniper team. This gave the Secret Service 9 minutes of advanced notice before Trump started speaking.

These details further reveal the extent of the on-the-ground communication within the Secret Service and between various law enforcement agencies involved that day, but nonetheless raise questions about the competence and preparedness of those involved, as well as the unusually slow response time to a clear and present danger. The Secret Service has faced widespread backlash, with bipartisan calls for Director Cheatle to resign.