JUST IN: New Text Messages from Thomas Crooks to “Mystery Persons” Revealed

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter in the assassination attempt at President Donald Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally July 13, 2024, sent a series of strangely coded text messages in the months leading up to the shooting, according to records obtained by Judicial Watch.

“Did you 3D print the parts?” an individual the FBI described as an “unknown contact” messaged Crooks Feb. 9, 2023.

“Yes, except for the fan blades,” Crooks responded.

“Woah that looks cool,” the unknown contact replied to Crooks, also asking about the “parts” in response to a Crooks message, which the FBI redacted.

Another series of messages between Crooks and a redacted second party display a series of odd one- or two-word messages Crooks sent the contact between May 21, 2023, and Jan. 3, 2024.

“Hello … Hello red …Hello red … Hdudhdbdbbd … 7888ejdj … Yolo … Ddodjjf … 890 … Hdjd … Djdj … red … Yup red … Hello … Jhhhuuh … Hhdj … Jjjjjjjjjjjj … Hello red … Red red,” Crooks’ messages said.

The FBI redacted any potential response from the other party, according to the documents.

Other information Judicial Watch received from the FBI documents included a notification from shipping company DHL about a package Crooks received from Hong Kong.

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OVER TWO YEARS LATER, and we’re still getting pieces of the Thomas Crooks investigation while the person on the other end of his messages remains REDACTED.

The newly released texts discuss 3D guns and receiving gifts. They also show Crooks was receiving DHL packages from a… pic.twitter.com/vGQvbDOC4D

— Gina Milan (@ginamilan_) October 3, 2026

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OVER TWO YEARS LATER, and we’re still getting pieces of the Thomas Crooks investigation while the person on the other end of his messages remains REDACTED.

The newly released texts discuss 3D guns and receiving gifts. They also show Crooks was receiving DHL packages from a person with the initials “HK,” who apparently also changed their phone number.

So WHY THE HELL is this person’s identity still being protected?

If you’re going to release the texts, release ALL of them UNREDACTED.

Stop selectively releasing evidence while hiding the person on the other end of the conversation.

RELEASE THE NAME. RELEASE THE EVIDENCE. Let the American people see it for themselves.

We all know this was an INSIDE JOB.

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Federal investigative records obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and reviewed by The Post last month showed that Crooks’ father told investigators that his son owned a 3D printer and once tried to fashion his own handgun.

“Using carbon fiber plastic, a dryer and a toaster oven, Thomas did once create a Glock 19,” the gunman’s father, Matthew, told investigators.

Matthew explained that he tried the 3D-printed gun out, but only fired a single round from it because he feared the frame would explode.

Matthew indicated that he did not allow Thomas to use the 3D-printed Glock 19.

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NEW: Thomas Crooks used drone to take pictures of Pittsburgh area a few months before he nearly assassinated @realDonaldTrump. pic.twitter.com/2wlZfbeXJ3

— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) October 2, 2026

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