Main Facts
More than two years after the historic and near-fatal assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, newly released Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) documents have exposed a complex web of preparatory actions, digital surveillance, and highly unusual communications carried out by the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks.
The records, obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by the conservative educational foundation and advocacy group Judicial Watch, reveal that the 20-year-old resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was engaged in highly sophisticated and cryptic behaviors long before he climbed onto the roof of the AGR International building on July 13, 2024.
Among the most startling revelations in the documents are a series of coded and repetitive text messages exchanged with unidentified individuals, detailed drone surveillance of major professional sports stadiums in Pittsburgh, international shipments originating from Hong Kong, and active attempts to manufacture functional "ghost guns" using consumer-grade 3D printers and household appliances.
The disclosure of these records comes at a time of renewed national focus on the shooting, following the death of 76-year-old James Copenhaver on September 23, 2026. Copenhaver, a military veteran who survived being shot in the triceps and midsection during the Butler rally, succumbed to severe, long-term medical complications directly linked to his injuries. His passing has intensified demands from congressional investigators and public interest groups for the FBI to cease its heavily redacted, piecemeal release of information and provide the public with an unedited account of the security failures and investigative findings surrounding the attack.
Chronology of Preparatory Activities
To understand the trajectory of Thomas Matthew Crooks’ radicalization and operational planning, investigators have begun reconstructing a timeline of his digital footprint, acquisitions, and surveillance activities spanning nearly a year and a half prior to the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| [Feb 9, 2023] --------------------------------------------------------+ |
| Crooks exchanges text messages with an "unknown contact" regarding | |
| 3D-printing mechanical parts, excluding "fan blades." | |
| | |
| [May 21, 2023 – Jan 3, 2024] -----------------------------------------+ |
| Crooks sends a sequence of repetitive, seemingly coded messages | |
| containing the word "red" and random keystrokes to a redacted party. | |
| | |
| [Feb 6 – Feb 27, 2024] -----------------------------------------------+ |
| Crooks conducts aerial surveillance, capturing 40 drone photographs | |
| of PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. | |
| | |
| [Pre-July 2024] ------------------------------------------------------+ |
| Crooks attempts to construct a carbon-fiber 3D-printed Glock 19 handgun | |
| in his family home using a dryer and a toaster oven. | |
| | |
| [July 13, 2024] ------------------------------------------------------+ |
| Crooks attempts to assassinate Donald Trump in Butler, PA, killing | |
| Corey Comperatore, wounding others, and is killed by Secret Service. | |
| | |
| [Sept 23, 2026] ------------------------------------------------------+ |
| James Copenhaver, critically injured during the 2024 attack, dies from | |
| medical complications arising from his wounds. | |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+Early Technical Collaborations: February 2023
The newly released FBI files indicate that Crooks’ interest in advanced manufacturing and potential weaponization began to take a concrete shape in early 2023. On February 9, 2023, an individual designated by the FBI as an "unknown contact" sent a text message to Crooks asking: "Did you 3D print the parts?"
Crooks responded affirmatively, writing: "Yes, except for the fan blades."
The unknown contact replied: "Woah that looks cool," and proceeded to ask further technical questions regarding the components. The FBI redacted Crooks’ subsequent responses, leaving investigators to speculate on whether the "parts" in question were intended for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), explosive devices, or firearms.
The Cryptic "Red" Messages: May 2023 – January 2024
Over a seven-month period starting in May 2023, Crooks maintained contact with a second redacted party. The communication log is characterized by highly irregular, repetitive, and fragmented entries sent by Crooks. The messages consisted of erratic keystrokes interspersed with the word "red":
"Hello … Hello red …Hello red … Hdudhdbdbbd … 7888ejdj … Yolo … Ddodjjf … 890 … Hdjd … Djdj … red … Yup red … Hello … Jhhhuuh … Hhdj … Jjjjjjjjjjjj … Hello red … Red red"
The FBI redacted all incoming responses from the recipient. Security experts suggest these messages could represent a rudimentary signaling system, tests of an encrypted communication channel, or manifestations of a deteriorating mental state.
Aerial Reconnaissance: February 2024
In February 2024, Crooks shifted his focus toward physical reconnaissance. Between February 6 and February 27, 2024, Crooks compiled a portfolio of 40 drone photographs. Rather than focusing on rural venues or political spaces, these images targeted high-capacity, iconic public venues in Pittsburgh, including PNC Park (home of Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates) and Acrisure Stadium (home of the National Football League’s Pittsburgh Steelers).
Supporting Data and Behavioral Red Flags
The details contained in the Judicial Watch release paint a picture of a young man deeply engrossed in clandestine technical projects, utilizing unconventional methods to acquire equipment and bypass legal and parental barriers.
3D-Printed Weaponry and the "Toaster Oven" Method
Prior to the FBI release, documents obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and reported by the New York Post revealed that Crooks had attempted to manufacture a "ghost gun"—an untraceable, privately made firearm.
According to testimony provided to federal investigators by the shooter’s father, Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old had successfully fabricated a Glock 19 handgun frame.
Crooks' 3D-Printing Assembly Setup (Based on Parental Testimony):
[Carbon Fiber Plastic Filament] ---> [3D Printer] ---> [Household Clothes Dryer] ---> [Toaster Oven (Curing)] ---> [Glock 19 Frame]Matthew Crooks explained that his son used carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic filament, utilizing a standard household clothes dryer to dehydrate the plastic and a kitchen toaster oven to cure the finished product. Fearing that the home-brewed firearm was structurally unstable and prone to catastrophic failure or explosion upon firing, the senior Crooks forbade his son from ever assembling or operating the weapon.
International Shipments and Administrative Aliases
The FBI files also contain shipping records from DHL, documenting that Crooks received at least one package originating from Hong Kong. While the exact contents of the package remain classified or redacted within the released documents, the shipment of hardware or electronics from overseas points to an effort to procure specialized components outside domestic retail channels.
Furthermore, additional records indicate that Crooks routinely sought anonymity in his administrative and financial dealings. He utilized the alias "Bob Dole"—the name of the late U.S. Senator and Republican presidential nominee—in various online and logistics transactions. This operational security extended even beyond his death; following his neutralization by a Secret Service counter-sniper, an anonymous donor stepped forward to quietly finance his cremation, a transaction documented in separate federal files.
Official Responses and Public Backlash
The revelation of these encrypted communications and advanced preparation methods has sparked intense criticism of federal law enforcement agencies and raised questions about why these indicators were not detected earlier.
Congressional Frustration
Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill expressed profound frustration upon learning of the newly disclosed text messages and stadium reconnaissance. Many members of the congressional task forces investigating the Butler assassination attempt stated they were completely blindsided by the information, which had not been proactively shared with them by the Department of Justice or the FBI.
"Awfully strange," was how several GOP lawmakers characterized the communications and the FBI’s handling of the evidence. Congressional investigators have argued that the existence of an "unknown contact" discussing 3D-printed parts and a redacted second party receiving repetitive "red" messages challenges the initial narrative that Crooks acted as a completely isolated "lone wolf" with no external influences or co-conspirators.
Advocacy Groups Demand Full Disclosure
Following the release, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton issued a sharp public statement, accusing the FBI of deliberately slowing the release of critical public safety information through excessive redactions and delayed disclosures.
"These latest records reveal more pieces of the puzzle surrounding Thomas Crooks," Fitton said. "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."
Implications for Public Safety and VIP Security
The evolving details of the Thomas Matthew Crooks investigation carry significant, long-term implications for federal law enforcement, intelligence gathering, and the protection of public figures.
The Threat of Decentralized Manufacturing and "Ghost Guns"
Crooks’ successful fabrication of a carbon-fiber Glock 19 frame underscores the growing security challenge posed by 3D-printing technology. As consumer-grade 3D printers become more sophisticated and affordable, the barrier to entry for manufacturing untraceable firearms has dropped significantly.
Key Security Challenges Identified in the Crooks Investigation:
1. Untraceable Manufacturing: Use of 3D printing and household appliances to bypass background checks.
2. Unmonitored Surveillance: Utilizing commercial off-the-shelf drones to conduct reconnaissance on major public stadiums.
3. Cryptic/Coded Digital Communications: Bypassing standard keyword-based automated threat detection systems.Law enforcement agencies are increasingly forcing a rethink of regulatory frameworks surrounding raw materials, such as carbon-fiber filaments, and the online distribution of computer-aided design (CAD) files for firearms.
Redefining Venue Security and Drone Countermeasures
The discovery of 40 drone photos targeting PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium highlights a critical vulnerability in modern stadium security. Crooks’ ability to conduct aerial reconnaissance of major sports venues without triggering law enforcement intervention has prompted sports leagues and municipal authorities to call for more robust counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) technology in urban centers.
The Lasting Human Toll
The death of James Copenhaver on September 23, 2026, serves as a grim reminder that the consequences of political violence extend far beyond the immediate aftermath of an event. While the immediate casualty of the July 13 attack was Corey Comperatore—the 50-year-old volunteer fire chief who died shielding his wife and daughters from the gunfire—the long-term physical toll on survivors like Copenhaver represents a continuing tragedy.
As federal agencies continue to analyze the heavily redacted files, the central question remains unanswered: what was the ultimate motive that drove a quiet 20-year-old from Bethel Park to plan, surveil, and execute one of the most consequential security breaches in modern American history? Until the FBI releases its complete, unredacted file, both Congress and the public remain limited to assembling a highly complex puzzle with missing pieces.
