New Delhi: There have been new and very surprising revelations about the personality of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who carried out the fatal attack on US presidential candidate Donald Trump in the year 2024. Interview documents recently released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have revealed a new layer of the childhood of the attacker, his unusual behavior and his criminal mentality behind this sensational incident. The statements given to investigators by Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, made it clear that the attacker was an extremely isolated and complex person since childhood.
Quiet childhood, expressionless face and social isolation
Crux’s father Matthew told that his son did not behave like ordinary children since birth. Crux, who did not cry when he was born, was unable to express emotions even after growing up. An intimate relationship could not be maintained between father and son, as he rarely laughed or was happy.
He felt hesitant in communicating with teachers. Symptoms of ADHD appeared in middle school. He would often talk to himself when alone and would break school desks to get attention.
arms madness
As soon as he entered adolescence, Crux’s inclination suddenly started moving towards guns and technology. He started going to gun clubs during the pandemic. Initially considered a weak marksman, Crooks gradually became a very accurate and long-range marksman through continuous practice.
His passion for weapons was not limited to just shooting them, but he also tried to make a Glock 19 pistol using a 3D printer, carbon-fibre and household parts. To hide his identity and avoid online tracking, he would often order weapons manufacturing tools and equipment using a fake name such as ‘Bob Dole’.
Political views and unfulfilled desires to join the army
Crooks’ career dreams kept changing, including the idea of joining the Army and working on nuclear submarines. Crooks, who has a keen interest in politics and history, loved discussing politicians like Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Marco Rubio. Despite registering himself as a Republican on paper, he was a staunch opponent of welfare schemes and woke ideology. However, he never fully adopted the principles of any political party, preferring mainly to debate government policies and make fun of politicians.
Historical and horrifying incident of 13 July 2024
All these strange actions and deadly preparations came to a tragic end on July 13, 2024, when he attacked Donald Trump on the stage during an election rally in Pennsylvania with a sniper rifle. In that horrific attack, a bullet missed Trump’s right ear, due to which he narrowly escaped. However, in this indiscriminate firing, an innocent civilian attending the rally was killed and two other people were seriously injured. Just seconds after the attack, Secret Service sharpshooters killed Crux on the spot. This new FBI report shows how an isolated young man slowly spiraled into violence.