Authorities have discovered what the last thing Thomas Crooks, the man who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump a week ago at a rally in Butler, Pa., searched for online.
The 20-year-old searched for pornography, according to FBI investigators who discovered it after they gained access to his encrypted Samsung phone, according to law enforcement sources who spoke with the Daily Beast.
The initial attempts to access the Android device at the Pittsburgh field office were unsuccessful. Consequently, the phone had to be sent to Quantico for agents there to take a crack at it, the source explained.
The only other recent activity on the phone were texts from his parents asking where he was, the report said. His parents believed that Crooks had taken one of his father’s AR-15-style rifles and had gone to a local shooting range. He had also looked up Trump and President Joe Biden on his device in the days before the attack.
Six days following the failed assassination attempt, the FBI has largely completed its examination of Crooks’ mobile device and is concentrating its efforts on his desktop computers and external storage devices discovered in his bedroom.
The New York Post reported that agents have also discovered a concerning digital background, which includes internet searches related to the Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley and other individuals responsible for mass shootings, according to law enforcement officials.
The discovery of porn searches on Crooks’ phone was “not unusual,” the source told the Daily Beast.
Trump took the stage at the Republican National Convention Thursday evening and delivered a highly anticipated speech that included recounting the assassination attempt. But, apparently, that will be the last time he publicly recounts the attack because he said recalling it is “too painful.”
“As you already know, the assassin’s bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life. So many people have asked me what happened, tell us what happened, please. And therefore I will tell you exactly what happened and you will never hear it from me a second time, because it is actually too painful to tell,” Trump said.
“It was a warm, beautiful day in the early evening in Butler Township in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Music was loudly playing and the campaign was doing really well. I went to the stage, and the crowd was cheering wildly. Everybody was happy. I began speaking very strongly, powerfully, and happily,” he added.
Trump then described how he turned his head at the last second, which likely saved his life as a bullet whizzed by, grazing his right ear.
“In order to see the chart, I started to, like this, turn to my right and was ready to begin a little bit further turn, which I am very lucky I didn’t do. When I heard a loud, whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard,” Trump said. “On my right ear. I said to myself, wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet.”
“I immediately knew it was very serious that we were under attack and in one movement proceeded to drop to the ground. Bullets were continuing to fly as very brave Secret Service agents rushed to the stage and they really did, they rushed to the stage. These are great people. At great risk, I will tell you. And pounced on top of me, so that I would be protected,” he continued.
“There was blood pouring everywhere, and yet, in a certain way, I felt very safe because I had God on my side. I felt that. The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark.”
Trump added: “I am not supposed to be here tonight. I’m not supposed to be here.”
WATCH:
Trump recounts the assassination attempt
“There was blood pouring everywhere and yet in a certain way I felt very safe because I had God on my side”
Most powerful acceptance speech of all time pic.twitter.com/Rowarp0TwR
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) July 19, 2024
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