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

By Evan Perez and Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN

(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.

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 outside the rally venue before he was killed by Secret Service agents.

The shooter’s parents, who have been cooperating with law enforcement since the assassination attempt, have said Crooks did not appear to have friends and did not appear to have any political leanings, the official said.

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