FBI has successfully accessed the phone of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter involved in the attack on former President Trump. This was made possible with the help of the Israeli digital intelligence company Cellebrite, known for its forensic software tools used by law enforcement to extract data from electronic devices.
According to a recent report by Bloomberg News, the FBI had initially tried to unlock Crooks’ phone using an older version of Cellebrite’s software, but when that failed, they reached out to the company for assistance. Cellebrite quickly provided the FBI with new software and technical support that was still under development. According to Bloomberg, it took the FBI only 40 minutes to unlock the phone once they had the new software.
Cellebrite, which describes its mission as "Accelerate justice with Cellebrite," offers tools that help investigators access a wide range of data from devices, including location data, call logs, deleted texts, photos, and videos. This information can be crucial in solving cases. The company has a strong presence in law enforcement, assisting in over 5 million investigations worldwide and working with nearly 7,000 federal, state, local, and enterprise customers.
The FBI seized Crooks’ phone and other electronic devices following the incident at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13th, where Crooks, a 20-year-old shooter, was shot dead by Secret Service snipers shortly after he shot at Trump, grazing his ear. The attack resulted in the death of one attendee and critical injuries to two others. Despite extensive searches of Crooks' home and computer, the FBI has found no clear motive for the shooting and hopes the phone might provide new insights.
Reports from the Washington Post indicated that once the FBI had the new software from Cellebrite, they were able to access the phone quickly. The Associated Press added that pictures of both President Joe Biden and Trump were found on Crooks’ phone.
Cellebrite’s tools, especially its “Insyte” software suite, are designed for comprehensive digital forensics, offering access to the latest Android and iOS devices, full file system extractions, and the ability to analyze vast amounts of data. The company, formed in 1999, aims to strengthen its relationship with the US federal government.
However, Israeli spyware firms like Cellebrite have faced controversy in the past. Notable examples include Pegasus spyware, developed by the NSO Group, which was used by Israeli police to hack phones of citizens involved in protests in 2020 and sold to several EU governments. Another firm, QuaDream, known for its zero-click iPhone hacking tool, shut down in April 2023 after being blacklisted by the US for its software being used to target journalists and dissidents.
