Former FBI Agent Says Thomas Crooks Showed ‘Red Flags’ Before Attempted Trump Assassination

A former FBI agent says recently released federal records suggest Thomas Crooks was “spiraling into an almost manic state” in the period leading up to his attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.

The records, provided to the Senate and first reported by the New York Post, describe unusual behavior observed by people who knew Crooks in the weeks before the shooting at the campaign rally. The attack left one person dead and two others seriously wounded.

Jonathan Gilliam, a former FBI special agent, told News Outlet that the Senate documents contain multiple warning signs involving Crooks.

“These are definitely examples of somebody who is mentally not stable and also somebody who was spiraling into almost a manic or delusional state,” Gilliam said. He added that a combination of delusional behavior, reports of hearing voices and a possible manic episode—along with influence from people around Crooks or material he encountered online—could represent a major part of the story that remains unexplored.

Although Crooks was described as having no history of interest in explosives, an unclassified FBI memo says someone questioned him about a gallon jug containing a substance he claimed was meant to clean the bed of his 3D printer.

The person’s identity was blacked out in the records and apparently doubted Crooks’ explanation, saying his ears would turn bright red whenever he lied. The documents do not indicate when the conversation about the jug took place.

The same person told investigators that Crooks became increasingly agitated as he grew older and frequently spoke aloud to himself.

According to the account, Crooks’ behavior intensified after community college. He was seen moving his hands while talking to himself, and at times he reportedly stayed awake all night dancing. The individual said Crooks appeared to have “endless energy.”

When someone close to him challenged him about speaking aloud, Crooks acknowledged doing it but denied that he was hearing voices.

“Sometimes he would stay up all night, always endless energy,” an FBI notepad entry stated.

The person believed to have been close to Crooks also described his nighttime routines to federal investigators.

The FBI memo said Crooks was heard dancing and whispering at night in a redacted location. Investigators were told he paced through another redacted area two or three nights a week. When questioned about the pacing, Crooks reportedly said he was bored and trying to entertain himself. The behavior was described as distracting to someone who worked nearby.

One of Crooks’ coworkers told law enforcement that in the weeks before the attack, he “opened up a little more” and became more “excited about going to school.”

Crooks was planning to attend Robert Morris University to study mechanical engineering and graduated with an associate degree in engineering science from the Community College of Allegheny County.

In the months before the shooting, Crooks also enrolled in the following courses at the Keystone Shooting Center:

• Basic Carbine Course, enrolled April 30, 2024, scheduled for May 25, 2024 — $139.99
• Basic Handgun Course, enrolled June 7, 2024, scheduled for June 13, 2024 — $139.99
• Intermediate Handgun Course, enrolled June 1, 2024, scheduled for June 22, 2024 — $149.99

Around the time Crooks was taking these firearm courses, he was spotted with two people at Keystone Armory in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, on May 25, 2024, where be bought 20 rounds of Red Army 7.62x54R for $19.07.

“The individual believed to be Crooks was accompanied by a white male believed to be around his mid 30’s and another older white male with a gray beard, potentially one of the individual’s father. The individual believed to be Crooks and the two other males can be seen wandering throughout the firearms store looking at various firearms,” the FBI document stated.

The documents also make reference to a redacted individual, believed to be Crooks, “purchased ammo online going site to site until he found one that would sell to him.”

FBI Director Kash Patel testified on Tuesday at a Senate Oversight Committee hearing that there’s no evidence that Crooks was connected with anyone else.

“We found no evidence that that individual was literally even speaking to any other human being other than his parents, who he resided with,” Patel testified.

The documents show the FBI contacted at least one foreign government during its investigation into the assassination attempt, but offer no further detail on why.