No, the Trump shooter was not religiously motivated

Context

Social media posts on Facebook and Instagram falsely claim to show Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to shoot Donald Trump at a recent rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Users posting the image claim that the shooting was religiously motivated.

However, this is not true, and Crooks is not the individual shown in the viral photo.

In fact

The image in the posts making this claim does not show Thomas Matthew Crooks. The facial profile and hairline do not match. Crooks was known to be a solitary man who kept to himself, and there is no proof that he was Jewish, Muslim, or religiously inclined, let alone religiously motivated in his attack. Numerous studies, research, and press releases indicate his motive is unclear, as no evidence of his political or ideological motivations has been found in his home at the time of writing.

Left: Thomas Matthew Crooks. Right: The viral image circulating online falsely claiming to show Crooks. (Source: Instagram/Screenshot/Composite by Logically Facts)

By comparing the two images, it is clear that the facial structure, hairline, and jaw do not match.

Crooks was a member of a local shooting club and used his father's gun on the day of the shooting, which was purchased six months prior. He was found to be researching for a president in the near vicinity to assassinate, and it seems to be a coincidence that Trump would be nearby at a rally, which enabled his severe actions.

The FBI unlocked the shooter's phone on July 15, and no social media accounts have been linked to Crooks as yet. The picture does not seem to exist anywhere else on the internet, except for in these social media posts claiming it to be Crooks.

Misinformation circulated widely following the assassination attempt, with many people misidentified online as Crooks. Logically, Facts has debunked several of these claims, including an article on the specific misidentification of the shooter. 

Conspiracy Theories

Antisemitic conspiracy theories baselessly suggest Jews were behind this attempted assassination and that this was an act of terrorism. Far-right figures such as Nick Fuentes have suggested it was backed by Israeli intelligence. Furthermore, Jack Posobiec and Laura Loomer have also indicated that the Democrats and Biden himself have been plotting Trump's assassination for a while. The Deep State has also been named as the alleged organizer of this attempted assassination, with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones being at the forefront of this discussion, stating that "we are in the middle of a Deep State hot coup." 

Nevertheless, no evidence exists that Crook's actions were politically or religiously motivated.

The verdict

The individual in the viral image is not Thomas Matthew Crooks, and there is no evidence the shooting was religiously motivated. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.