Investigation reveals suspect's 3D-printer texts and drone flights before Trump rally shooting
FBI documents show Thomas Crooks exchanged coded texts about 3D-printed gun parts and used a drone to photograph venues before the July 13, 2024 attempt on Donald Trump.
Federal investigators have released a trove of texts and drone data linked to Thomas Crooks, the man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally on July 13, 2024. The messages include a February 9, 2023 inquiry from an "unknown contact" asking if Crooks had 3D-printed certain parts, to which he answered affirmatively except for the fan blades, and later casual remarks about college coursework.
A separate, heavily redacted chat thread from May 2023 to January 2024 consists of short, nonsensical strings, while a Christmas-day exchange shows Crooks thanking an unidentified sender for "gifts." The FBI also extracted images and flight logs from Crooks's drone, showing aerial photos taken in early February of PNC Park, Acrisure Stadium, railroad tracks and other sites around Western Pennsylvania. On the rally day, Crooks opened fire, striking Trump in the ear, injuring James Copenhaver and David Dutch, and killing Corey Comperatore. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton urged the bureau to release the complete record, especially after Copenhaver's recent death from his injuries.
Why it matters
The disclosures expose how 3D-printing and drone surveillance were used in a high-profile political attack.
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