In a detailed statement Friday, FBI Director Kash Patel laid out the full scope of the bureau’s investigation into Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who opened fire at a Donald Trump rally in July 2024. Patel emphasized that more than 480 FBI employees were mobilized across multiple field offices — an enormous effort to ensure no piece of the puzzle was left unturned.
Over the course of the investigation, agents conducted more than 1,000 interviews with witnesses and associates, sifted through over 2,000 public tips, and seized 13 electronic devices tied to Crooks. From those devices, they reviewed roughly 500,000 digital files. On top of digital forensics, the FBI also examined financial activity across 10 separate accounts, and scrutinized 25 social media and online forum profiles connected to Crooks. Hundreds of hours of video footage — from public and surveillance sources — were synchronized and analyzed to build a full picture of his actions.
Patel noted investigators explored over 20 online identities tied to Crooks, extracting forensic data from phones, computers, storage drives, and cloud-based accounts. Despite that level of scrutiny, the conclusion was clear: Crooks planned and executed the attack entirely on his own.
According to the FBI’s findings, Crooks had “limited online and in-person interactions” and did not leak or share his intent with anyone, Patel wrote. There was no credible evidence of his involvement with extremist networks, foreign operatives, or coordinated planning. He stood apart as a lone actor, in contrast to some claims that he might have had support or guidance from a broader conspiracy.
Patel’s remarks come amid renewed scrutiny after a video published by Tucker Carlson claimed Crooks had left a detailed digital trail — including “violent threats” and ideological posts — that contradicts the bureau’s public narrative. Carlson also called out the FBI’s decision to cremate Crooks just 10 days after the shooting, arguing it made independent verification of his autopsy impossible.
Patel pushed back directly, writing that the FBI’s rapid-response account on X had already responded, saying, “This FBI has never said Thomas Crooks had no online footprint. Ever.” He reaffirmed that, despite the size of the investigation, no conspiracy or assistance was uncovered.
Beyond that, multiple sources — including a Senate oversight report — support Patel’s conclusion: investigators found no motive, no outside handlers, and no ties to any foreign entity, including Iran. Former officials have described Crooks as socially isolated, fitting a disturbing profile of individuals who commit political violence not out of ideology, but from a sense of being overlooked and wanting to make a mark.
Ultimately, the FBI now considers the case technically open but inactive, as there are no new leads to pursue — unless new, credible information emerges.
