Donald Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks ‘searched for the Princess of Wales online’ and downloaded images of Kate Middleton to his phone before he tried to murder the former US president, FBI searches reveal
Donald Trump’s would-be assassin had researched the Princess of Wales online before attempting to kill the former president, it was reported today.
Thomas Matthew Crooks had downloaded photos of the future queen, an FBI analysis of his two phones and laptop has revealed.
Police in the US discovered his apparent fascination with the British royal after they searched Crooks’ home and seized his electronic equipment following his attack in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The 20-year-old gunman had images of the Princess of Wales on his phone, according to National Public RadioSources close to the investigation have confirmed this to DailyMail.com.
Crooks sought information on the 42-year-old royal, while also looking at Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, FBI Director Christopher Wray and US Attorney General Merrick Garland.
It is not yet clear why Crooks was looking for Kate, the only non-American in the group of people he found in his Internet search history.
The Princess of Wales was back in public at Wimbledon last Sunday, just hours after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
Donald Trump’s potential assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks was investigating the Princess of Wales, sources say
Donald Trump (pictured) narrowly escaped being killed by a gunman at a rally on Saturday, when he was hit in the ear as he tried to turn his back at the last moment.
The FBI declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com. Kensington Palace also declined to comment. The royals never comment on security matters.
The Princess of Wales has made limited public appearances this year as she undergoes treatment for cancer. There is no evidence that Crooks had plans to travel to the UK.
Her last public appearance was on July 14, the day after Trump was shot, when she received a standing ovation as she entered the Royal Box at Wimbledon.
The Princess of Wales announced in March that she had cancer and has been undergoing preventive chemotherapy since then.
But Crooks’ interest in her became apparent when the FBI searched his two cell phones and one laptop.
They then discovered that he had been searching for dates from Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he ultimately attempted assassination.
The Democratic National Convention data was also sought, researchers said during a closed-door meeting with lawmakers.
They also found photos of Biden and Trump in Crooks’ material.
Crooks was a nutritional assistant at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where he provided food and care to the elderly and infirm after hospitalization.
FBI officials said during the briefing that Crooks’ search history indicated he had a strong interest in famous people, sources on the call confirmed to DailyMail.com.
After the assassination attempt on Trump, King Charles wrote a letter to the former president. This letter was delivered by the British Embassy in Washington DC
Charles survived his own assassination attempt in 1994.
The then Prince of Wales was in Sydney to give a speech at an Australia Day ceremony when a gunman fired two shots at him. It later turned out to be a starting pistol loaded with blanks.
Footage of the attack 30 years ago went viral on social media after Trump’s attack – because Charles reacts so calmly to the man storming the stage and the crack of bullets
The US Secret Service faced major questions last night about how a gunman was able to get close enough to shoot the former president.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has been summoned to testify before a U.S. House committee on July 22, and could face calls to resign or be fired.
It was reported last night that a man believed to be Crooks was spotted by local police acting suspiciously near the metal detectors at the security cordon, a senior law enforcement official said.
Shooter Thomas Crooks (pictured) had been investigating a member of the royal family during his assassination plans, the FBI revealed
Donald Trump was seen with blood on his face after being shot on Saturday
The 20-year-old was shot by US Secret Service snipers moments after opening fire on Trump, but major questions remain about how he was not discovered earlier.
A radio alert was sent out asking agents to keep an eye on him. The information was passed on to the Secret Service, sources told CNN.
About five minutes after Donald Trump began speaking, bystanders tried to alert police to a figure crawling onto a nearby roof with a gun in his hand. “We saw a man like an army, like a bear, crawling across the roof of the building next to us, 50 feet away,” Greg Smith told the BBC. “We could clearly see a gun.
“We were pointing at him, the police were running around down there on the ground, and we were like, ‘Hey man, there’s a guy on the roof with a gun’… and the police didn’t know what was going on.”
Mr Smith said he tried to alert authorities but didn’t think they could see the shooter because of the slope of the roof.
“I thought to myself, ‘Why is Trump still speaking, why didn’t they take him off the stage?’ … and the next thing you know, five shots go off,” he said.
Another eyewitness, Ben Macer, claimed he “saw the guy going from roof to roof. (I) told an officer [the alleged shooter] was on the roof’.
Rallygoers were required to pass through metal detectors to ensure they were not carrying weapons. But the shooter escaped the security cordon and hid on a rooftop 433 feet from the stage, raising questions about the size of the perimeter and efforts to sweep the surrounding area.
Former FBI Director Andrew McCabe told CNN: “One of the most fundamental elements of securing a location is eliminating sight lines into the room where the protected person will be speaking.
“If you look at that map, you can clearly see the buildings marked on it, clearly within firing range.”
The building from which the shooter fired was outside the perimeter of the rally, so it was secured by local law enforcement, not Secret Service agents, agency spokesman Anthony Gugliemi said. There were four anti-sniper teams covering the rally, two from the Secret Service and two from local police agencies, he added.
Mike Turner, Republican Representative from Ohio and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said, “I find it very frustrating because we believe that our presidents and former presidents or candidates for president have the highest level of protection.”
Florida Republican Rep. Mike Waltz claimed on X: “I have very reliable sources who tell me that there have been repeated requests for increased Secret Service protection for President Trump.”
But Mr Guglielmi said: ‘There is a false allegation that a member of the former president’s team asked for additional security and that it was turned down. This is absolutely false.
“We have actually added additional protective equipment, technology and capabilities as part of the increased pace of the campaign,” Kevin Rojek, the FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, added. “There has never been a request for additional security denied by the FBI.”
In a campaign memo last night, Trump officials urged their staff to stay away from their offices in Washington and Florida while they assess security.