{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/conflict/thomas-crooks-texted-about-3dprinted-gun-parts-and-drone-photos","slug":"thomas-crooks-texted-about-3dprinted-gun-parts-and-drone-photos","url":"https://mediabias.news/conflict/thomas-crooks-texted-about-3dprinted-gun-parts-and-drone-photos","title":"Thomas Crooks texted about 3D‑printed gun parts and drone photos","subtitle":"FOIA‑released FBI records show the gunman discussed 3D‑printing with an unknown contact, his father described a carbon‑fiber Glock, and a drone captured images of two Pennsylvania stadiums.","excerpt":"New FBI documents obtained by Judicial Watch reveal that Thomas Crooks exchanged messages about 3D‑printed gun components, that his father said he once built a carbon‑fiber Glock 19, and that Crooks flew a drone over PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium in February 2024.","category":"Conflict & Security","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-10-03T00:25:15.921Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-10-02T23:51:51.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T00:25:15.921Z","readTime":"3 min read","scores":{"trust":86,"critic":95,"hype":15,"notes":{"trust":"Multiple named sources, official FBI FOIA documents, and two independent full reports corroborate the communications.","critic":"Clear reporting with quotes, specific dates, and explanation of relevance, keeping facts separate from speculation.","hype":"Body presents facts without sensational language; headline is more attention‑grabbing than article."}},"tags":["#USPolitics","#FBIRecords","#3DPrinting","#ThomasCrooks","#DronePhotos","#AssassinationAttempt"],"entities":["Thomas Crooks","Matthew Crooks","Judicial Watch","Internewscast","New York Post","PNC Park","Acrisure Stadium"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Thomas Crooks texted an unknown contact about 3D‑printed gun parts, confirming he printed all but the fan blades.","Crooks’ father said his son once built a carbon‑fiber Glock 19 with a dryer and toaster oven and fired a single round.","FBI records show Crooks piloted a drone in February 2024, photographing PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium and other western Pennsylvania sites.","Judicial Watch released the 249‑page record set after a FOIA request and Senate Judiciary Committee review."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Federal documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show that Thomas Crooks, the man who attempted to assassinate President Trump, exchanged text messages with an “unknown contact” about 3D‑printed parts. An unknown contact asked, “Did you 3D print the parts?” and Crooks replied, “Yes, except for the fan blades.” The exchange later shifted to discussion of coursework at different colleges."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, told investigators that his son owned a 3D printer and once used carbon‑fiber plastic, a dryer and a toaster oven to create a Glock 19. He said Thomas test‑fired a single round before stopping because he feared the frame could explode, and that he did not allow his son to use the weapon."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The same FBI files contain drone flight logs and images extracted from Crooks’ device. Between 6 February and 27 February 2024, Crooks captured aerial photographs of PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium, the homes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers, as well as railroad tracks and other locations around western Pennsylvania."},{"type":"pullquote","text":"Did you 3D print the parts?","author":"unknown contact, text message"},{"type":"stat_callout","value":"249 pages","label":"Length of FBI document release","subtext":"Obtained by Judicial Watch via FOIA"},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"No left‑rated outlet ran the story, leaving the left side of the media landscape without coverage of these newly released FBI records."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"Internewscast","url":"https://internewscast.com/news/trump-gunman-thomas-crooks-texted-about-3d-printer-and-gifts","headline":"Trump Gunman Thomas Crooks Texted About 3D Printer and 'Gifts","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T23:51:51.000Z"},{"sourceName":"realnewsnow.com","url":"https://realnewsnow.com/new-fbi-records-reveal-thomas-crooks-texted-mystery-contacts-about-3d-printed-parts-and-gifts","headline":"New FBI Records Reveal Thomas Crooks Texted Mystery Contacts About 3D-Printed Parts and ‘Gifts’ - Real News Now","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T23:06:45.000Z"},{"sourceName":"New York Post","url":"https://nypost.com/2026/10/02/us-news/would-be-trump-assassin-thomas-crooks-texted-mystery-persons-about-his-3d-printer-and-gifts","headline":"Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks texted mystery persons about his 3D printer and ‘gifts’","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T22:35:32.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Breitbart","url":"https://breitbart.com/politics/2026/10/02/fbi-records-reveal-trump-gunmans-redacted-chat-thread-drone-photos","headline":"FBI Records Reveal Crooks' Redacted Chat Thread","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T22:11:34.000Z"},{"sourceName":"[your]NEWS","url":"https://yournews.com/2026/10/02/7214438/new-fbi-records-detail-thomas-crooks-redacted-chats-drone-flights","headline":"New FBI Records Detail Thomas Crooks’ Redacted Chats, Drone Flights and Hong Kong Shipment Notice","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T21:36:02.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Gateway Pundit","url":"https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/new-records-obtained-judicial-watch-reveal-thomas-crooks","headline":"New FBI Records Obtained by Judicial Watch Reveal Thomas Crooks’ Mysterious Chat Thread with Unidentified Person and Drone Pictures * The Gateway Pundit * by Cristina Laila","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T19:40:05.000Z"},{"sourceName":"TMZ","url":"https://tmz.com/2026/10/02/trump-shooter-texted-with-unknown-contact-about-3d-printed-parts","headline":"Trump Shooter Texted with 'Unknown Contact' About 3D-Printed Parts Before Attempted Assassination","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T17:59:50.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":0,"centre":14,"right":86},"count":{"left":0,"centre":1,"right":6},"totalSources":7,"untracked":0,"rated":7,"observedAt":"2026-10-03T01:29:35.160Z"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-10-03T02:15:30.009Z","closedAt":null,"checks":8,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":[],"centre":["Internewscast reported the full text exchange, the father’s testimony about the carbon‑fiber Glock, and the February drone photographs of the two stadiums. It quoted the unknown contact’s question, “Did you 3D print the parts?” and the follow‑up “Woah that looks cool.” The outlet also included a statement from Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton urging the FBI to release the complete record."],"right":["The New York Post led on the same exchange, the father’s description of the 3D‑printed Glock, and the drone images of PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium, reproducing the same quoted messages. Digests from RealNewsNow, Breitbart, [your]NEWS and The Gateway Pundit each noted that Judicial Watch obtained a 249‑page set of FBI records detailing the chat thread and drone flights, but they did not add further wording beyond the basic facts."],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"left","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"veryLow":1,"low":1,"mixed":5},"ownershipDistribution":{"mediaConglomerate":2,"independent":2},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"TMZ","url":"https://tmz.com/2026/10/02/trump-shooter-texted-with-unknown-contact-about-3d-printed-parts","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T17:59:50.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"Burbank, Los Angeles County, California, United States","count":1},{"country":"St. Louis, Missouri, United States","count":1},{"country":"Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States","count":1},{"country":"New York, New York, United States","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"TMZ","url":"https://tmz.com/2026/10/02/trump-shooter-texted-with-unknown-contact-about-3d-printed-parts","headline":"Trump Shooter Texted with 'Unknown Contact' About 3D-Printed Parts Before Attempted Assassination","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T17:59:50.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"leanRight","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Burbank, Los Angeles County, California, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"The Gateway Pundit","url":"https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/new-records-obtained-judicial-watch-reveal-thomas-crooks","headline":"New FBI Records Obtained by Judicial Watch Reveal Thomas Crooks’ Mysterious Chat Thread with Unidentified Person and Drone Pictures * The Gateway Pundit * by Cristina Laila","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T19:40:05.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"farRight","factualityRating":"veryLow","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"St. Louis, Missouri, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"[your]NEWS","url":"https://yournews.com/2026/10/02/7214438/new-fbi-records-detail-thomas-crooks-redacted-chats-drone-flights","headline":"New FBI Records Detail Thomas Crooks’ Redacted Chats, Drone Flights and Hong Kong Shipment Notice","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T21:36:02.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"right","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Breitbart","url":"https://breitbart.com/politics/2026/10/02/fbi-records-reveal-trump-gunmans-redacted-chat-thread-drone-photos","headline":"FBI Records Reveal Crooks' Redacted Chat Thread","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T22:11:34.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"right","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"New York Post","url":"https://nypost.com/2026/10/02/us-news/would-be-trump-assassin-thomas-crooks-texted-mystery-persons-about-his-3d-printer-and-gifts","headline":"Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks texted mystery persons about his 3D printer and ‘gifts’","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T22:35:32.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"leanRight","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"New York, New York, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"realnewsnow.com","url":"https://realnewsnow.com/new-fbi-records-reveal-thomas-crooks-texted-mystery-contacts-about-3d-printed-parts-and-gifts","headline":"New FBI Records Reveal Thomas Crooks Texted Mystery Contacts About 3D-Printed Parts and ‘Gifts’ - Real News Now","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T23:06:45.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"farRight","factualityRating":"low","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Internewscast","url":"https://internewscast.com/news/trump-gunman-thomas-crooks-texted-about-3d-printer-and-gifts","headline":"Trump Gunman Thomas Crooks Texted About 3D Printer and 'Gifts","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T23:51:51.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null}]},"assessment":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Thomas Crooks texted about 3D‑printed gun parts and drone photos\", https://mediabias.news/conflict/thomas-crooks-texted-about-3dprinted-gun-parts-and-drone-photos","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/conflict/thomas-crooks-texted-about-3dprinted-gun-parts-and-drone-photos","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/conflict/thomas-crooks-texted-about-3dprinted-gun-parts-and-drone-photos","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/thomas-crooks-texted-about-3dprinted-gun-parts-and-drone-photos","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/conflict/thomas-crooks-texted-about-3dprinted-gun-parts-and-drone-photos.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}