Trump shooter Thomas Crooks was spotted by cops nearly 100 minutes before shooting: Report

Thomas Crooks, the failed assassin of Donald Trump, was aware that he was being tracked by law enforcement, which knew about his movements at least 100 minutes before he pulled the trigger on July 13, according to text messages analysed in a report by the New York Times.

In a detailed investigative report on Sunda (July 28)the New York Times said that the failed assassin was always a step ahead of law enforcement agencies.

NYT reporters analysed the timestamps of videos, photos, and relevant text messages to reach this conclusion. If the report is accurate, it means that the presence of Crooks in the area was known to law enforcement much in advance than earlier reported.

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Trump assassination attempt: What the text messages say

The series of text messages among the local cops started nearly an hour and a half before the former US president took the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania to address a rally of supporters.

One police countersniper - different from the Secret Service countersniper who eventually shot and killed Crooks- texted: “Guys I am out. Be safe.” This was sent at the end of his shift, totwo other local counter snipers who were still in the area.

The same countersniper noticed Crooks and again texted his colleagues about "a young man with long stringy hair sitting on a picnic table near the warehouse" of AG International. That's the building from the roof of which Crooks eventually fired the shots at Trump. The report said that the description in the text matched the appearance of Crooks.

The local cop wrote that the person "would have seen" him come out with his rifle and “knows you guys are up there,” as per the NYT report.

This happened nearly 100 minutes before Crooks pulled the trigger.

The report said another countersniper snapped photos of Crooks, which were shared in a group chat of the officers, with one saying they should inform the Secret Service.

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The exact text went: “Kid learning [sic] around the building we are in. AGR [AGR International building] I believe it is. I did see him with a range finder looking towards the stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS [Secret Service] snipers to look out. I lost sight of him.”

The text messages and other documents were provided by Beaver County Emergency Services Unit to Republican Senator Charles E Grassley of Iowa, who passed them on to NYT.

The report also said that Crooks had "scoped out the rally site" one day before the Secret Service, using a drone.

It has been reported that Crooks' online searches prior to the shooting revealed he wanted to know how far away the shooter Lee Harvey Oswald was from John F Kennedy when he assassinated the US president in 1969. He also searched for the Trump rally details and registered for it. Other searches included US President Joe Biden, depression disorder.

Eventually, a Secret Service sniper killed Crooks but only after his bullet managed to graze the ear of the Republican presidential candidate.

(With inputs from agencies)