Thomas Crooks texted about 3D‑printed gun parts and drone photos

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Thomas Crooks texted about 3D‑printed gun parts and drone photos?

Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 17% are rated centre, 83% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.

Is Thomas Crooks texted about 3D‑printed gun parts and drone photos left or right?

Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.

Is the coverage of Thomas Crooks texted about 3D‑printed gun parts and drone photos biased?

Thomas Crooks texted about 3D‑printed gun parts and drone photos is one event reported by 6 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.

Which side is not reporting Thomas Crooks texted about 3D‑printed gun parts and drone photos?

When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.

Which outlets covered Thomas Crooks texted about 3D‑printed gun parts and drone photos?

6 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.

What did the texts between Crooks and the unknown contact contain?

The FOIA‑released messages show the unknown contact asked Crooks if he 3D printed the parts and Crooks answered yes, except for the fan blades. The conversation later moved to college coursework and included occasional coded strings.

Did Crooks actually build a functional firearm?

Crooks’ father told investigators that his son once created a Glock 19 from carbon‑fiber plastic, a dryer and a toaster oven, and that he fired a single round before stopping because he feared the frame could explode. He also said he did not let his son use the gun.

What locations did Crooks photograph with his drone?

The FBI records indicate that between 6 February and 27 February 2024 Crooks photographed PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium, as well as railroad tracks and other sites around western Pennsylvania.

Who released the FBI documents and how were they obtained?

Judicial Watch obtained the 249‑page set of FBI records through a Freedom of Information Act request and then released them publicly. The documents were later reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.