Investigators now believe account on gaming site in would-be assassin’s name is fake

CNN —

Investigators now believe that the Steam account in the name of the man who shot at former President Donald Trump over the weekend is fake, a US official briefed on the matter told CNN.

Earlier Thursday, CNN, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that Thomas Matthews Crooks posted, “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.” The source did not elaborate on timing or whether there were other posts.

The FBI told senators on Wednesday that they believed the account did indeed belong to Crooks, the source familiar with the briefing said. But now the bureau has revised that assessment, the US official said.

Officials continue to stress that the investigation is still in its early stages and has yet to turn up any potential motive.

Investigators have been trying to learn more about what Crooks was doing in the days and hours leading up to his attempt to assassinate the former president. Crooks visited the Trump rally location twice, his cell phone contained images of both Trump and President Joe Biden, and the would-be assassin’s search history included dates of the Democratic National Convention as well as future Trump events, three US officials told CNN.

But investigators combing through Crooks’ physical and digital trail still lack the key detail that would explain why the 20-year-old climbed the roof in Butler, Pennsylvania, with an AR-style weapon: a motive.

Crooks also conducted searches online about major depression disorder, administration officials told Congress during briefings Wednesday.

This story has been updated with additional developments and details.