Newly released FBI files delivered to the U.S. Senate reveal that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, maintained an active Snapchat account under the username “tom_crooks19.” According to federal documents first reported by the New York Post, investigators also recovered accounts tied to Crooks on Amazon, Gmail, and Mailfence, an encrypted email service where he logged in multiple times between April 15 and July 8, 2024.
Digital Evidence and the Snapchat Account
Federal investigators examining the digital footprint of the 20-year-old Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, native suggest the newly uncovered accounts could yield critical insights. Jason Pack, a retired supervisory special agent with the FBI’s Financial Crimes Investigation Division, told Fox News Digital that the Snapchat account likely holds a substantial amount of data. “When you execute search warrants, you always find a treasure trove of information,” Pack said, noting that while certain elements on ephemeral apps might be difficult to retrieve, substantial logs remain.
At the same time, Pack noted that Crooks likely exercised caution given that Snapchat lacks end-to-end encryption. “What you do see is a tendency to try to hide things and to use pseudonyms,” Pack told Fox News Digital, pointing out that Crooks’ efforts to conceal his physical purchases pointed to a deliberate digital strategy.
Motive and Lack of Co-Conspirators
Testifying before the Senate Oversight Committee, FBI Director Kash Patel stated that investigators found no evidence linking Crooks to any co-conspirators. “We didn’t find any evidence that this individual talked, literally, to any other human being other than his parents, with whom he lived,” Patel told lawmakers.
Former federal officials analyzing the case point to personal grievances and a desire for notoriety rather than a structured ideological conspiracy. Former FBI agent John Nantz told Fox News Digital that Crooks “looked not so much like an ideologue… but more like a person with anti-social issues that may have been seeking notoriety.” Former U.S. Secret Service agent Charles Marino added that Crooks operated as a classic lone wolf who shared his plans with no one.
Background and Ongoing Scrutiny
The July 13, 2024, rally shooting left 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore dead and injured Trump along with attendees David Dutch and James Copenhaver. Vetting by federal agencies revealed that Crooks was isolated during his high school years, with classmates reporting instances of bullying. The renewed scrutiny over his digital communications underscores ongoing efforts by federal authorities to piece together the exact motivations behind the attack.
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