FBI has accessed Trump rally shooter’s phone but investigators are struck by lack of leads

CNN —

Nearly 48 hours after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, investigators are struck by the lack of leads they’re finding about Thomas Matthew Crooks’ mindset and possible motives for his attack.

Even after successfully breaking into Crooks’ phone and searching his computer, scouring his search history and bedroom, and interviewing his family and friends, agents still haven’t found evidence that would suggest political or ideological impetus for the shooting, law enforcement sources told CNN.

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 13: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger said the shooter is dead after injuring former U.S. President Donald Trump, killing one audience member and injuring another in the shooting. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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The FBI on Monday said in a statement that it accessed Crooks’ phone and that investigators conducted “nearly 100 interviews of law enforcement personnel, event attendees, and other witnesses.”

However, the FBI did not say what it found on Crooks’ phone or on other materials.

The investigative steps are part of the FBI’s initial investigation of the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally. Authorities have previously said they believe that Crooks acted alone, and that they have not yet been able to identify a motive for the shooting. Authorities say he fired multiple shots from a building rooftop just