New details about Thomas Crooks revealed: From his alleged interest in 'furries' to his 180 on Trump

New details emerged in recent hours about Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old shooter who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., last year.

In addition to grazing the president's ear, he wounded two men and killed Corey Comperatore, a father of two. He was shot down at the scene by a Secret Service sniper. His motive, for the moment, remains unknown.

Since then, details about the planning and execution of the shooting have been emerging: from his searches on Lee Henry Oswald that same day, to how he registered and how he gained access to the roof from where he fired with a gun legally acquired by his father. It was also learned that, days before the attack, he wrote on Steam: "July 13 will be my release, watch it unfold."

However, little is known about his motivations or political ideology. Authorities only stated that he lacked a clear ideology, nor did he have a criminal record or mental illness. New revelations from The New York Post, however, call that into question.

"The danger Crooks posed was visible for years in public online spaces," contends the anonymous source cited by The New York Post, which alludes to 17 accounts that reportedly belonged to the shooter when he was between 15 and 17 years old. "His radicalization, violent rhetoric and obsession with political violence were all documented under his real name. The threat wasn’t hidden."

"[Crooks] was not simply some unknowable lone actor … He left a digital trail of violent threats, extremist ideology and admiration for mass violence. He spoke openly of political assassination, posted under his real name and was even flagged by other users who mentioned law enforcement in their replies. Despite this, his account remained active for more than five years — and was only removed the day after the shooting," the source said.

From 'MURDER THE DEMOCRATS' to anti-Trump

According to journalist Miranda Devine, who led the reporting, the posts reveal a clear shift in Crooks' political preferences. In 2020, he went from Trump supporter to Trump critic.

"I hope a quick painful death to all the deplorable immigrants and anti-trump congresswoman who don’t deserve anything this country [sic] has given them," he reportedly wrote in 2019. As well as "MURDER THE DEMOCRATS" and that Trump was "the literal definition of Patriotism."

Starting in 2020, however, he did a complete 180. In addition to calling the Republican president stupid and racist, he described his followers as a cult: "How can you people call others sheep, but you are do [too] brainwashed to realize how dumb you are"

According to Devine, the posts show growing radicalization. "IMO the only way to fight the gov is with terrorism style attacks, sneak a bomb into an essential building and set it off before anyone sees you, track down any important people/politicians/military leaders etc and try to assassinate them," he wrote in one of the posts.

The same report provided other details about the shooter. Two accounts on the social network DeviantArt point to an interest in "furries," people who identify with or are attracted to animals drawn with human characteristics, and the use of "they/them" pronouns. 

He also reportedly interacted with a member of a Norwegian neo-Nazi group, also according to the same source. It was Willy Tepes of the Nordic Resistance Movement, designated a terrorist organization by the State Department in 2024. Tepes reportedly offered him advice that Crooks later repeated several times: "Political power comes from the barrel of a gun."

Patel: '[Crooks] planned and conducted the attack alone'

If true, the revelations contradict both Trump's and Joe Biden's FBI accounts. Both agreed that Crooks lacked a clear political ideology.

In response to Tucker Carlson's accusation last week that the bureau had hidden information about the shooter and that he had not worked alone, citing interactions with Willy Tepes, the agency's current director contended:

"The investigation, conducted by over 480 FBI employees, revealed Crooks had limited online and in-person interactions, planned and conducted the attack alone, and did not leak or share his intent to engage in the attack with anyone."

Earlier this year, Patel promised transparency in the case, "You're going to know everything we know." Although details have emerged from a congressional investigation, which revealed an "unclear chain of command," the FBI investigation remains secret.

In July, Senator Ron Johnson issued a subpoena to the FBI asking for records of the attack. "I had expected the FBI to be more forthcoming with the public and provide my office with the records we have been seeking for months," he said at the time.