New York

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate former US president Donald Trump, appears to have used a social media microblogging site called 'Gab' to lend support to President Joe Biden and his policies. 

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According to the platform's CEO, Andrew Torba, he learned about Crooks' allegiances after getting an "emergency disclosure request from a law enforcement agency". 

"Approximately 30 minutes ago, Gab learned that Thomas Crooks, the deranged Joe Biden supporter who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump, may have had an account on our platform. We are unable to confirm that the account in question actually belonged to him," wrote Torba on X (formerly Twitter). 

"The account was last active on the site in 2021. As far as we are aware, the account did not use the site to send any direct messages. He posted on the site nine (9) times total," Torba added. 

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The account in question went by the alias of @epicmicrowave and expressed support for Biden's COVID-19 lockdowns, border policies and executive orders. 

In one of the posts, the account user could be seen mocking someone for sharing an election projection. 

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"Didn’t you also think Biden would lose in a landslide yeah I would not be very confident in your election predictions," the OP wrote in February 2021.

Torba added he was releasing the data "at significant personal and business risk" by defying the DC consensus and publishing first definitive evidence that the shooter was a Biden supporter. 

Watch | US Secret Service director grilled by lawmakers on Trump assassination attempt

Crooks' search history 

The FBI last week confirmed that Crooks had searched for Trump as well as Biden in the lead-up to the events of July 13. 

FBI added that the 20-year-old searched for dates of Trump appearances and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) where Democrats are expected to certify Kamala Harris' nomination for the president. 

Trump shooting new bodycam video shows failed assassin Thomas Crooks in pool of blood on roof: WATCH

Crooks neutralised by Secret Service

Crooks was killed by the US Secret Service (SS) after he fired multiple rounds from an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle in a bid to assassinate Trump. The former president was saved by mere inches as the bullet meant for his head, just grazed the top portion of his right ear. 

The 20-year-old shooter fired from a building, only 130 metres away from the Republican leader despite being well inside the security perimeter of Secret Service, FBI and local law enforcement agencies.  

Crooks had also placed explosives in his car and reports indicate that he planned to blow it up after surviving the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt. 

Notably, after the incident, it was revealed that Crooks was a registered Republican but had donated to Progressive Turnout Project - a liberal voter turnout group, through the Democratic donation platform ActBlue. 

(With inputs from agencies)