A senior FBI official revealed at a US Senate hearing on Tuesday that the man who attempted to assassinate Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, appears to have posted violent antisemitic and anti-immigration content online as a teenager. FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate disclosed the existence of a social media account from 2019-2020, which would have been when Thomas Crooks, identified as the shooter, was 15 or 16 years old. This account, with over 700 comments, is believed to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes advocating political violence, described as extreme in nature.
Crooks, aged 20 at the time, fired an AR-15-style rifle at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, injuring the former president's ear, killing one attendee, and wounding two others. Secret Service snipers subsequently killed Crooks. Investigators describe him as a loner with minimal social connections, primarily limited to immediate family members.
The shooting, the first of a US president or major party candidate in over four decades, highlighted a significant security lapse. This led to the resignation of former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle under bipartisan congressional pressure. Acting Director Ronald Rowe, her successor, expressed his shame at the inadequate security measures during the rally and has since taken steps to prevent similar incidents.
Rowe also mentioned that Crooks had flown a drone near the rally site, undetected due to a malfunctioning drone detection system. The Secret Service has since added six individuals to its protection list, including Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance and his family, and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, while enhancing security details.
The incident has spurred multiple investigations by House and Senate committees and a new bipartisan task force, focusing on the gaps in communication between local police and the Secret Service, and the broader issue of political violence in the country.
