Life

Donald Trump Attempted Assassin's Last Web Search Was Reportedly for Porn

The shooter has also looked up information on President Joe Biden and members of the British Royal Family.

Donald Trump stands in a suit and tie with a white bandage on his right ear, looking slightly to the left
(Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Thomas Matthew Crooks was reportedly searching for porn before he attempted to kill former president Donald Trump during his rally in Pennsylvania.

A senior law enforcement official told The Daily Beast on Friday that the FBI broke into Crooks' phone and found his last online search was for pornography. Officials had struggled to get into the phone at first, and it was then sent to Quantico, Virginia, where the FBI's Operational Technology Division is located.

Crooks' phone also had activity from his parents, who texted him at 1 p.m. and asked his location. According to The Daily Beast's source, Crooks' parents believed he took his father's AR-15 rifle and went to a gun range to practice.

The search comes after investigators also found Crooks had looked up information on several mass shooters, such as Ethan Crumbley, who, when he was 15 years old, opened fire, killing four students and one teacher at Oxford High School in Michigan in 2021.

Crooks also researched Trump, President Biden, the Democratic National Convention, and members of the British Royal Family. The FBI has completed most of its examination into Crooks' phone and is now searching through his laptop and several hard drives, which they found in his bedroom.

Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper after he opened fire at Trump's rally. He was only able to graze Trump's ear, but he did injure two attendees while killing one in the attempted assassination.

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