The FBI said it found the Trump rally shooter’s Steam account, then took it back

FBI officials told Congress connected Wednesday that nan 20-year-old who changeable astatine erstwhile President Donald Trump whitethorn person posted a informing connected Steam earlier nan onslaught — but CNN is now reporting that investigators deliberation nan relationship is fake.

Investigators astatine nan bureau “gained access” to Thomas Matthew Crooks’ phone earlier this week and person been combing done it to find his motive and put together a timeline of events. In a briefing pinch members of Congress connected Wednesday, FBI officials said Crooks had utilized his telephone and different devices to hunt for accusation astir and images of Trump and President Joe Biden — and that he near a cryptic connection connected Steam announcing nan shooting, according to reports by nan New York Times and ABC News.

“July 13 will beryllium my premiere, watch arsenic it unfolds,” sounds nan message, which investigators told Congress was posted by Crooks. But nan FBI has since “revised its assessment,” according to CNN’s Sean Lyngaas.

The Verge has reached retired to nan FBI and to Valve, which owns and operates Steam, for comment.

Crooks besides searched for dates of Trump’s nationalist appearances and of nan Democratic National Convention successful Chicago, according to aggregate reports. In summation to Trump and Biden, Crooks looked up aggregate salient figures, including FBI head Christopher Wray, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and a personnel of nan British royal family, 2 officials pinch knowledge of nan business told nan New York Times. 

Crooks’s telephone is “one of respective devices” rule enforcement has obtained and is scanning, sources told ABC News. Investigators are besides reviewing Crooks’s message and shipping history aft uncovering 3 explosive devices connected to him, according to a national rule enforcement memo obtained by nan New York Times. Crooks received aggregate packages complete nan past respective months, immoderate of which were marked “hazardous material.” 

So far, nary of nan accusation rule enforcement has obtained connected Crooks points to a clear motive. Per nan New York Times, Wray noted that location was an absence of “any governmental aliases ideological information” successful Crooks’ home.

On 1 telephone pinch members of Congress, Kimberly Cheatle, nan caput of nan Secret Service, told legislators that nan agency had made superior “mistakes,” according to nan New York Times. It looks for illustration nan FBI, which is still early successful its investigation, whitethorn person made immoderate arsenic well.