Kate Middleton researched by Donald Trump shooter Matthew Thomas Crooks on-line

The man who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump had also researched Princess Wales Kate Middleton as part of another assassination plot, according to the FBI.

Thomas Matthew Crooks reportedly downloaded images of the 42-year-old Royal onto his mobile phone. When FBI agents raided his home following the shooting in Pennsylvania, they seized two phones and a laptop.

Cyber specialists found the pictures of Kate when they accessed the 20-year-old’s devices.

READ MORE: Donald Trump shooter suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks’ dad speaks after failed assassination

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Previously, the agency had declined to reveal the identity of the Royal whose photos were found on Crooks’s phone. However, respected US broadcaster NPR reported that Kate’s name was mentioned during a phone briefing about the attack with politicians.

Other individuals researched by Crooks included FBI Director Christopher Wray and US Attorney General Merrick Garland. His devices also held images of President Joe Biden and Trump, along with dates of the Republican and Democratic conventions, reports the Mirror.

There is no evidence to suggest that Crooks had plans to travel to the UK.

Secret Service boffs and FBI operatives briefed MPs about the probe into Crooks on Wednesday, with journalist Martin Kaste telling NPR’s ‘All Things Considered’ that his friend Ryan Lucas had a conversation with an insider on the call. He revealed: “They briefed members of Congress that he had saved images of President Biden, Donald Trump, even Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales. He’d searched for dates of Trump’s speaking events, as well as the Democratic National Convention. They say they found no signs of any strong political ideology or foreign connections.”

While Kate, who is currently battling cancer, was the odd one out in Crooks’s online snooping list, being the only non-American, it’s still a mystery why he was googling the mum-of-three, who rocked up at Wimbledon just hours after the shooting rumpus. The Princess announced her cancer news back in March and has been soldiering on through preventative chemo ever since.

Crooks was shot by the Secret Service just moments after he fired at the former president during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania last weekend. The 78-year-old narrowly escaped death when the gunman’s rifle grazed his ear and killed one of his supporters in the crowd.

Kate Middleton has taken a break from her Royal duties to focus on her health after revealing that she is undergoing treatment for cancer. The future Queen’s most recent public appearance was on 14 July – the day after Trump was shot, when she visited the Royal Box at Wimbledon.

The Daily Star has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.

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