The Mercury News recently obtained a report from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through a Freedom of Information Act request. The report detailed an encounter Cassidy had with CBP agents about five years ago following a return flight from the Philippines.
The report said that CBP agents spent several hours interviewing Cassidy after his flight on August 8, 2016. The report said that agents questioned him about possible “sex tourism” and the “sex friendly” hotels he had written in a notes book.
The Wall Street Journal had previously reported that Cassidy was questioned by agents concerning “books about terrorism and fear and manifestos … as well as a black memo book filled with lots of notes about how he hates the VTA” that he was found with.
However, the report obtained by the Mercury News uncovered new details, such as the “very strange writing” CBP agents found in Cassidy’s belongings, which included “dark thoughts” about “harming and vandalizing” other individuals.
During Cassidy’s interview, he was asked by CBP agents “if he had problems at work with anyone, and he stated no,” the Mercury News reported.
Additionally, CBP agents also discovered Cassidy wrote in his notes book that some of his goals for his trip to the Philippines included “try not to have sex” and to “die there.”
Despite the revelations agents uncovered during their interview with Cassidy, the CBP never reported the encounter to local law enforcement or the VTA.
Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen said he obtained a copy of the redacted CBP report last week. In a statement sent to Newsweek, Rosen said that he plans to meet with federal officials to discuss why the report wasn’t shared earlier.
“After having read a redacted 2016 report that we received just last week, I remain deeply troubled that something could have been done to identify or stop the man who cut down and destroyed so many lives,” Rosen said. “I am meeting with federal and local officials in coming weeks to address this issue. Sharing information saves lives.”
In May, Cassidy opened fire at the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) rail yard in Santa Clara County, California. Police said that Cassidy fired his weapon 39 times, fatally striking nine of his coworkers. Cassidy then took his own life shortly after police arrived.
Newsweek reached out to Customs and Border Protection for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
