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    Trump’s would-be assassin Thomas Crooks wrote chilling online post foreshadowing rally shooting: report

    By Larry Celona, Allie Griffin,

    4 hours ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=06zGXx_0uVEyK0600

    Would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks wrote a chilling online message that hinted to sinister plans for the day he shot up the former president’s Butler, Pa. rally over the weekend.

    “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds,” the 20-year-old gunman allegedly wrote on Steam, a popular online platform where gamers communicate with one another, Fox News reported.

    The foreshadowing message was revealed to US senators during a briefing with top law enforcement officials on Wednesday.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2jHCr9_0uVEyK0600
    Thomas Matthew Crooks wrote a chilling online message that hinted to sinister plans for the day he shot up the former president’s Butler, Pa. rally over the weekend. AFP via Getty Images

    Crooks, 20, also had images of the Republican presidential nominee as well as President Biden on his cellphone, and searched the dates of the Democratic National Convention and Trump’s Pennsylvania rally — where he shot the 45th president from a nearby rooftop, law enforcement sources told The Post.

    Local cops warned Secret Service they lacked manpower to patrol, secure building used by Trump rally shooter: report

    Investigators are mining through the shooter’s phones and computer in search of answers to the assassination attempt — but have not yet identified a motive.

    Their probe into the gunman’s search history did not reveal which side of the political spectrum Crooks — a registered Republican — was on, according to ABC News, which first reported the discovery.

    Crooks, who was shot dead seconds after firing at the former president, had two cell phones — a primary one recovered near his body and a secondary one at his home that had just 27 contacts, according to Fox.

    Secret Service was warned about, ID’d Thomas Crooks as a ‘threat’ 10 minutes before Trump took stage — but let ex-president go on anyway

    Details of his search history were released as news broke that 20 minutes passed between the time that Secret Service snipers first spotted Crooks perched on a roof with a rifle and the time he began firing at the former president.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2CdRiw_0uVEyK0600
    Former President Trump reacts as multiple shots rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. REUTERS

    The gunfire killed a 50-year-old married dad of two girls in attendance and injured two other rally-goers.

    Multiple law enforcement sources and legislators briefed on the investigation told ABC that snipers saw Crooks on the roof outside the rally’s security zone at 5:52 p.m. before the shooting began at 6:12 p.m.

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    The shocking 20-minute time gap was confirmed by The Post’s sources, who added that at one point, Crooks was reportedly peering through his rangefinder at the snipers who were looking back at him.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4RCIEy_0uVEyK0600
    graphic showing the layout of the Trump assassination attempt shooting during a rally in Butler, PA, Saturday, July 13, 2024. New York Post Illustration

    In fact, Crooks was identified as a person of interest over an hour before the shooting took place, sources have told The Post.

    After he fired his first shot, the snipers took him out within just 26 seconds.

    The alleged delay only adds to the scrutiny the Secret Service has been under for its handling of the assassination attempt.

    For top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com.

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