...
By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Thomas Matthew Crooks' assassination attempt on Donald Trump has sparked a succession of fake social media accounts, with unknown figures posing as the shooter for different apparent purposes.
Crooks, 20, was shot and killed by the Secret Service after he fired a rifle from a roof while Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee, spoke at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
Trump was struck by a bullet that pierced his right ear but was not seriously harmed. However, the gunfire killed one bystander, Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer fire chief, and left 57-year-old David Dutch of New Kensington and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, seriously injured.
Read More on News
In the wake of the shooting, Newsweek has uncovered a number of fake Instagram accounts set up by individuals purporting to be Crooks, despite his demise.
...
An Instagram spokesperson told Newsweek that they have teams that monitor the platform for violent threats, false information or for glorifying the shooter. They said copycat accounts of the shooter are not allowed and they are removed when spotted.
Some accounts appear to have been set up for monetary gain or to promote various projects. One Instagram account, with the handle "thomas_matthewcrooks_" solicited donations from members of the public, for instance.
...
It described Crooks as an "expert rifle shooter" and, in a story, the account appeared to pose as Crook's mother writing: "RIP my son this world wanted better for you. Donations for family and funeral services welcome in Bio - Mom."
...
A link in the bio directed users to an account on the mobile payment service, Cash App. Newsweek was unable to trace who the account belonged to and, at the time of writing, the Instagram account appears to have been deleted or removed from the website.
Another account "thomasmatthewcrooks," which also appears to have been deleted, shared stories and a bio link to a pornography account on Telegram.
...
...
Meanwhile, other accounts appeared to have been set up to trick people and spread misinformation about the shooter. One "matthewcrooksthomos," appeared to pose as Crooks and in a story, the user said: "I would surely take him down I promise Republicans s**ts f**k y'all I'm not D**d."
...
Another, "thomas_matthew2004" shared a story which said: "pleas make this viral, I'm still alive."
...
Others remain online at the time of writing.
Speaking to Newsweek, Jennifer Stromer-Galley, a Professor of Information Studies and Director for the Center for Computational and Data Sciences at Syracuse University in New York reflected on the motivations of those who make fake accounts.
"Given the ease with which anyone can set up a social media account, it makes it possible for individuals with ill-intentions to capitalize on tragic events, like the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump," she said. "Especially in highly charged political times, as we now are in, some people use the moment to spread conspiracy theories and false information to further inflame tensions to advance their ideological cause.
"Others are financial entrepreneurs and scammers who are capitalizing on the ideological identities of hyper partisans for their own profits. Indeed, we have found strong evidence of this around this election and especially around President Donald Trump—scammers who are creating pro-Trump messages to ultimately run credit card scams."
She added that these accounts lead to "greater polarization" and called on platforms to "work extra hard" to remove them.
"The consequences from these problematic behaviors are real." she said. "People who see these fake accounts are mislead, leading to greater polarization, more distrust of the political system and political actors (if they find out they've been duped), and a society where people are unable to make good decisions because they are founded on bad information.
"The platforms must work extra hard during crisis times to monitor such activity and remove fake accounts as quickly as possible to reduce the potential harms. Now that platforms function as a major component of the public sphere, they have a duty to help ensure they are not damaging the common good."
Crooks lived in Bethel Park, a borough in the Pittsburgh metro area, and graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. He was a registered Republican voter, but donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project in early 2021, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records.
On Sunday, it was revealed the firearm recovered at the scene of the shooting was legally purchased by Crooks' father after an urgent trace was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), ABC News reported citing multiple law enforcement sources.
Law enforcement officials also told The Associated Press there were bomb-making materials found at the suspect's home.
Reacting to the shooting, Crooks' former classmates told media outlets that Crooks was a "loner" and "an outcast" who was bullied by other students.
Crooks' father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN on Saturday night that he would "wait until I talk to law enforcement" before speaking publicly about his son.
The FBI is investigating the shooting as an attempted assassination of a former president and an act of domestic terrorism.
Updated 7/16 with response from Instagram.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines