Donald Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks 'searched for the Princess of Wales online' and downloaded images of Kate Middleton to his phone before he tried to murder the former US president, FBI searches reveal

Donald Trump's would-be assassin had researched nan Princess of Wales online earlier he tried to execution nan erstwhile president, it was reported today.

Thomas Matthew Crooks had downloaded photos of nan early queen, FBI study of his 2 phones and laptop show.

Police successful nan US made nan find astir his evident fixation pinch nan British royal aft searching Crooks' location and seizing his physics devices successful nan aftermath of his onslaught successful Pennsylvania past Saturday.

The 20-year-old rifleman had images of nan Princess of Wales connected his phone, according to National Public Radio. Sources adjacent to nan investigation person confirmed this to DailyMail.com.

Crooks had searched for accusation astir nan 42-year-old royal successful summation to looking astatine Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, FBI Director Christopher Wray and US Attorney General Merrick Garland.

It is not yet clear why Crooks was looking up Kate - nan only non-American successful nan group of group recovered successful his net hunt history. 

The FBI declined to remark erstwhile contacted by DailyMail.com. Kensington Palace besides declined to comment. The royals ne'er remark connected information matters.

The Princess of Wales has only conducted constricted nationalist appearances this twelvemonth arsenic she receives curen for cancer. There is nary grounds that Crooks had plans to recreation to nan UK.

Her past nationalist quality was connected July 14 – nan time aft Trump was shot. She received a opinionated ovation arsenic she headed into nan Royal Box astatine Wimbledon.

The Princess of Wales announced that she had crab successful March and has since being undergoing preventative chemotherapy.

But Crooks’ liking successful her was revealed arsenic nan FBI searched his 2 compartment phones and 1 laptop.

On it they recovered he had searched for dates of Trump’s rally successful Butler, Pennsylvania, wherever he yet made his assassination attempt.

There were besides searches for nan dates of nan Democratic National Convention, investigators told a backstage briefing pinch lawmakers.

They besides recovered photos of Biden and Trump successful Crooks’ material.

FBI officials successful nan briefing said that that Crooks' hunt history indicated he had a beardown liking successful celebrated people, sources connected nan telephone confirmed to DailyMail.com.

In nan aftermath of nan assassination effort of Mr Trump, King Charles wrote to nan erstwhile president successful a missive that was delivered by nan British Embassy successful Washington DC.

Charles survived his ain assassination effort successful 1994.

Then-the Prince of Wales was successful Sydney giving a reside astatine an Australia Day ceremonial erstwhile a gunman fired 2 shots astatine him. It was later revealed to beryllium a starting pistol loaded pinch blanks.

Footage of nan onslaught 30 years agone went viral connected societal media aft nan Trump onslaught - because Charles reacts truthful calmly to nan man storming connected shape and nan bang of bullets

The US Secret Service was facing superior questions past nighttime astir really a gunman managed to get adjacent capable to sprout nan erstwhile president.

Secret Service head Kimberly Cheatle has been summoned to attest earlier a committee of nan US House of Representatives connected July 22. She is facing calls to resign aliases look nan sack.

Last nighttime it was reported that a man believed to beryllium Crooks was spotted by section constabulary acting suspiciously adjacent nan information cordon’s metallic detectors, according to a elder rule enforcement official.

A power alert was put retired telling officers to support an oculus connected him and nan accusation was passed to Secret Service, sources told CNN.

Around 5 minutes aft Donald Trump started speaking, bystanders besides attempted to alert constabulary to a fig crawling connected a adjacent roof clutching a rifle. ‘We noticed a feline army-crawling, bear-crawling, up nan tile of nan building beside us, 50ft away,’ Greg Smith told nan BBC. ‘We could intelligibly spot a rifle.

‘We’re pointing astatine him, nan constabulary are down location moving astir connected nan ground, we’re for illustration “Hey man, there’s a feline connected nan tile pinch a rifle”. . . and nan constabulary did not cognize what was going on.’

Mr Smith said he tried to alert authorities, but thought they could not spot nan gunman because of nan slope of nan roof.

‘I’m reasoning to myself “Why is Trump still speaking, why person they not pulled him disconnected nan stage”. . . nan adjacent point you know, 5 shots ringing out’, he said.

Another eyewitness, Ben Macer, claimed he saw ‘the feline move from tile to roof. (I) told an serviceman [the alleged shooter] was connected nan roof’.

Rally attendees had to walk done metallic detectors to guarantee they were not bringing successful immoderate weapons. But nan shooter remained extracurricular nan information cordon hiding connected a rooftop 433ft distant from nan stage, raising questions astir nan size of nan perimeter and efforts to expanse nan surrounding area.

Former FBI head Andrew McCabe told CNN: ‘One of nan astir basal elements of tract information is to destruct show lines to this abstraction wherever nan protectee will beryllium speaking.

‘When you look astatine that map, it truthful intelligibly points to those buildings that are wrong it, intelligibly wrong shooting range.’

The building wherever nan gunman fired from was extracurricular nan perimeter of nan rally, truthful it was secured by section rule enforcement, not Secret Service agents, said nan agency’s spokesman, Anthony Gugliemi. There were 4 counter-sniper teams covering nan rally, 2 from nan Secret Service and 2 from section constabulary agencies, he added.

Ohio Republican Representative Mike Turner, nan president of nan House Intelligence Committee said: ‘I deliberation it’s very frustrating because we judge that our presidents and erstwhile presidents aliases candidates for president person nan highest grade of protection.’

Florida Republican typical Mike Waltz claimed connected X: ‘I have very reliable sources telling me location person been repeated requests for stronger Secret Service protection for President Trump.’

But Mr Guglielmi said: ‘There’s an untrue assertion that a personnel of nan erstwhile president’s squad requested further information resources and that those were rebuffed. This is perfectly false.

‘In fact, we added protective resources and exertion and capabilities arsenic portion of nan accrued run tempo.’ Kevin Rojek, nan FBI typical supplier successful complaint of nan Pittsburgh office, added: ‘There was nary further petition for information that was ever denied by nan FBI.’

In a run memo, Trump officials told unit past nighttime to enactment distant from their offices successful Washington and Florida while they measure security.