Report: Trump Assassin Left Online Message Before Shooting
Facts
- Thomas Mathew Crooks, the suspected shooter at former Pres. Donald Trump's rally, allegedly posted a threatening message on Steam, a gaming platform, days before the July 13 attack.1
- Crooks allegedly wrote, 'July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.' Authorities are still verifying the legitimacy of the post — found after investigators reviewed his technological devices.1
- While authorities claim Crooks searched about both Trump and US Pres. Joe Biden online, no digital footprint indicating his political views or his motive for the shooting nor any evidence of ties to international or domestic terrorist groups have been found.2
- Crooks, who was shot and killed by Secret Service snipers, was not known to the FBI before the shooting. The federal agency is investigating the attack as a possible case of domestic terrorism.3
- However, sources for the FBI reportedly told CNN that the agency has revised its assessment of Crooks' alleged post.4
Sources: 1FOX 10 Phoenix, 2ABC News, 3Forbes and 4USA Today.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by NBC. Crooks is hard to characterize and has a minimal online footprint. His political beliefs are unclear, and there's still no definitive motive for the shooting. We may never know why he tried to assassinate the former president. There's probably no logical reason behind this illogical act.
- Narrative B, as provided by ABC News. The motive behind Trump's attempted assassination is very likely the exact motive behind most of the recent mass shootings and similar violent events. This is probably just another case of someone with mental health issues and personal grievances, unfortunately, having easy access to a sea of firearms drowning the United States.