Thomas Matthew Crooks spent January polishing his college transfer applications.
Looks like he was planning on a long, bright future.
He was gathering transcripts and perfecting his personal statement.
And also designing a device that needed TNT.
Using an encrypted email, he ordered over two gallons of nitromethane online.
Twelve days later, he was checking why his explosive purchase hadn’t shipped.
Makes you wonder what would’ve happened if his order did arrive.
EXCLUSIVE: Emails and essays obtained by CBS News shed new light on Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. https://t.co/p0Z7cz5oOY
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) May 23, 2025
Resist The Mainstream reports:
Newly released emails show that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump, was also in the process of building a bomb in the months leading up to the July 13, 2024, attack.
Crooks shot Trump in the right ear and killed two others during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The FBI obtained access to encrypted emails revealing Crooks had ordered over two gallons of nitromethane, a chemical often used in explosives, from an online retailer.
Twelve days after placing the order, Crooks followed up with an inquiry asking why the shipment had not yet arrived, identifying himself by name and timestamping the message.
“Hello, my name is Thomas,” he wrote on January 31, 2024, per CBS News. “I have not received any updates of the order shipping out yet.”
Investigators were able to access his account because the email was tied to his Community College of Allegheny County student address, per the Daily Mail.
Crooks had been studying at the community college and was preparing applications to transfer to a four-year institution to study engineering.
Hundreds of emails from his college account showed a student who maintained regular contact with professors and expressed enthusiasm about school and the fall season.
Chuck Callesto posted:
BREAKING REPORT: Attempted Trump ass-ssin Matthew Crooks’ encrypted email reveals he ordered over TWO GALLONS OF NITROMETHANE from Hyperfuels.
Nitromethane is a dangerous substance that can be used in explosives.
When mixed with an oxidizer like ammonium nitrate, it becomes highly explosive.
Nitromethane can also be detonated on its own with a strong shock or heat source, especially if confined.
Its explosive power is comparable to TNT (trinitrotoluene).
BREAKING REPORT: Attempted Trump ass-ssin Matthew Crooks’ encrypted email reveals he ordered over TWO GALLONS OF NITROMETHANE from Hyperfuels.
Nitromethane is a dangerous substance that can be used in explosives.
When mixed with an oxidizer like ammonium nitrate, it becomes… pic.twitter.com/4W3iFP0Khw
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) May 24, 2025
The 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a July 2024 rally in Pennsylvania ordered materials to make a bomb, documents show. However, emails show Thomas Matthew Crooks was still working on applications to transfer out of community… pic.twitter.com/cUHQjhpYbk
— Karli Bonne’
(@KarluskaP) May 23, 2025
And just a reminder, it was the only rally CNN happened to stream live:
I never knew that Trumps Butler Rally was the only Rally CNN streamed Live
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pic.twitter.com/ug8sSdrQZ4
— G-PA (@IndianaGPA) March 18, 2025