Donald Trump’s would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks made more than two-dozen “firearms- related purchases” starting a year before he tried to kill the former president, carefully covering his tracks by using a fake name and trying to hide his activity online, according to law enforcement sources.
Last spring, Crooks, 20, began to gear up — making more than 25 separate purchases from online gun supply stores using an alias, sources told The Post.
Crooks took great pains to conceal his online activities, which shows he was engaged in meticulous planning even well ahead of the campaign rally, sources said.
It was not immediately known if any of the purchases were actual firearms, though federal law requires background and ID checks before buying a gun in most cases.
During the first half of 2024, the gunman also bought six “chemical precursors” that he used to make the rudimentary explosive devices later found in his home and car. These purchases were also made under an alias, sources said.
While he secretly amassed a collection of weapons and gear, Crooks researched high-profile people — including US politicians and a UK royal — as he zeroed in on his target.
His studies also included internet searches about the Kennedy assassination, including how far away Lee Harvey Oswald was when he shot the president dead in 1963.
His queries also included research on mass shootings and power plants as well as the attempted assassination of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico in May.
Here’s the latest on the assassination attempt against Donald Trump:
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- FBI to conduct victim interview with Donald Trump after assassination attempt
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- Ex-Trump doc says FBI’s Wray is ‘wrong’ to doubt ex-prez was struck by bullet: ‘Absolutely no evidence’
- Trump defends female Secret Service agent who was criticized after assassination attempt: ‘So brave’
Sources said the investigation revealed Crooks was “highly intelligent,” and that his interest in shooting started out as a hobby but rapidly progressed since around last September when he started taking formal firearms classes.
A day before the attack, Crooks visited a local shooting range to practice his marksmanship armed with his father’s DPMS DR-15 rifle — an AR-15 variant that retails for around $700.
It was the same weapon he used in the assassination attempt the next day.
Crooks’ DR-15 had a collapsible stock, enabling him to stealthily slip it into his backpack as he roamed the Farm Show grounds in Butler, Pa.
Law enforcement sources noted that he was spied in the vicinity of the AGR building wearing a backpack at approximately 5:56 p.m., just 15 minutes before he opened fire on the rally crowd.