No proof Instagram account with Epstein-related bio belonged to Thomas Matthew Crooks

When the FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks as the suspect of a July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, social media users searched online for signs of a presence and motive.

A Threads user asked July 14, "Is this the only 20 yr old w/out any social media presence or did every social media company take down his accounts within minutes of his name being released in the middle of the night?" 

In response, another Threads user shared a supposed screenshot of an Instagram profile with the name Thomas Matthew Crooks and a bio that says, "Praise the Lord. in my quest to end Epsteins (sic) evil empire. PA Born and bred."

(Screenshot from Threads)

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

The account did not belong to Crooks. Meta spokesperson Dave Arnold told PolitiFact, "This account was a copycat/fake account that was removed. Per our policies, copycat accounts of the shooter are not allowed, and we remove them when we find them."

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Instagram posts

stated on October 27, 2024 in an Instagram post

Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz “says that if Democrats win they’ll make (U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) speaker of the house.”

The profile photo in the screenshot matches a photo (archived link) uploaded July 10 by X user @Poopy_Tool_Fan, who was the same user who trolled social media and made posts claiming to be the shooter, based on previous posts, replies and the display name. 

The X user, who previously had the username @jewgazing, posted a photo and video after the assassination attempt that circulated out of context and were misrepresented to claim they showed Crooks. Fact-checkers debunked related claims.

So far, the only account that was confirmed to have belonged to Crooks was on the social media platform Discord. The company told media that the account was "rarely utilized" and "We have found no evidence that it was used to plan this incident, promote violence, or discuss his political views."

Secret Service personnel shot and killed Crooks moments after he opened fire at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally. Authorities said his shots killed former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore and injured two other attendees. Trump said the bullet grazed his ear.

The FBI investigation continues. 

There’s no proof this is an Instagram account belonging to Thomas Matthew Crooks. We rate that claim False.