Thomas Crooks exchanged cryptic electronic messages with unidentified contacts about 3D-printed firearm parts and traded mysterious “gifts” in the months before he attempted to assassinate Donald Trump, newly released FBI documents show.
The communications were among records obtained by Judicial Watch through a Freedom of Information Act request and released Friday. The conservative watchdog group has been pressing for transparency in the investigation of the July 13, 2024, shooting in Butler, Pa.
In one exchange from February 2023, an “unknown contact” messaged Crooks on his Samsung device with a pointed question about his manufacturing activities. “Did you 3D print the parts?” the person asked on Feb. 9, 2023. Several hours later, Crooks appeared to reply, “Yes, except for the fan blades.” The two then discussed coursework at their respective colleges, the documents show.
The same unknown contact had earlier responded to a fully redacted message from Crooks with enthusiasm. “Woah that looks cool,” the person texted, immediately following up with the inquiry about the “parts.”
Federal records previously obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and reviewed by The Post last month established that Crooks, 20, had experimented extensively with 3D-printed firearms. His father, Matthew Crooks, told investigators that his son once constructed a Glock 19 using carbon fiber plastic, a dryer and a toaster oven.
“Using carbon fiber plastic, a dryer and a toaster oven, Thomas did once create a Glock 19,” Matthew Crooks said in his statement to investigators.
Matthew Crooks added that he had personally test-fired the weapon, though he limited himself to a single round out of concern that the plastic frame might explode. He indicated that he subsequently prohibited his son from using the 3D-printed handgun.
The newly released documents also contain what the FBI described as a “chat thread” between Crooks and a second unidentified individual, with conversations spanning from May 21, 2023, to January 3, 2024. This exchange consisted largely of one- or two-word messages and seemingly random character strings that resist straightforward interpretation.
“Hello … Hello red …Hello red … Hdudhdbdbbd … 7888ejdj …Yolo … Ddodjjf … 890 … Hdjd … Djdj … red … Yup red … Hello … Jhhhuuh … Hhdj … Jjjjjjjjjjjj … Hello red … Red red,” Crooks wrote in the bizarre thread.
The document does not include any incoming messages that might clarify what Crooks was responding to, leaving the purpose of the exchange unexplained.
A separate set of messages from Christmas Day 2022 reveals Crooks trading “gifts” with yet another unidentified person. “Thanks for the gifts,” read one incoming text. Crooks appeared to respond, “Your welcome. Thanks as well.”
The FBI noted that all of these communications were “deemed pertinent” to the assassination attempt investigation, though the documents do not elaborate on why. Representatives for the bureau did not respond to a request for comment about the determinations.
Beyond the text messages, the released records show that investigators successfully extracted images and flight logs from a drone belonging to Crooks. Between February 6, 2024, and February 27, 2024, he captured aerial photographs of PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium, venues respectively home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers, along with railroad tracks and other locations across Western Pennsylvania.
Data from a drone flight in Butler on the day of the attempted assassination was also recovered, recorded several hours before Crooks opened fire on the former president from a nearby rooftop. The shooting struck Trump in the ear, wounded rally attendees James Copenhaver and David Dutch, and killed Corey Comperatore, who was shielding his family.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, issued a statement pressing for more complete disclosure. “These latest records reveal more pieces of the puzzle surrounding Thomas Crooks,” he said.
Fitton continued, “The FBI should stop the slow drip of heavily redacted records and immediately provide the full investigative record — especially since the death last week of James Copenhaver, who was severely injured from being shot during the assassination attempt on President Trump.”
Copenhaver, one of the two attendees wounded in the shooting, died from his injuries, adding pressure to ongoing demands for accountability and transparency in the investigation.