A 31-year-old California man is in custody after a chaotic shooting at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night, an attack federal investigators now believe was a politically motivated attempt to target President Donald Trump and his administration.
Cole Tomas Allen, a computer engineer and tutor, allegedly tried to breach a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner while armed with multiple firearms and knives, forcing the President offstage and sending hundreds of high-profile guests diving for cover.
Just minutes before the violence erupted, Allen sent a rambling, 1,000-word manifesto to his family members.
Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and railed against various Trump administration policies. While he did not name the President directly, he made frequent references to him and expressed deep grievances over specific government actions, including U.S. military strikes on drug-smuggling vessels in the Pacific.
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The note opened with a casual “hello everybody!” before spiraling into a mix of apologies to coworkers and students, religious justifications, and a taunting critique of the hotel’s security.
Allen reportedly expressed surprise that he was able to enter the Hilton with weapons undetected despite the event’s high-profile nature.
The suspect’s brother contacted police in New London, Connecticut, at 10:49 p.m. after receiving the writings, roughly two hours after the shooting occurred.
Meanwhile, federal agents interviewed Allen’s sister in Maryland. She informed investigators that her brother had legally purchased a .38-caliber pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun in California, hiding them at their parents’ home in Torrance without their knowledge.
She described her brother as someone prone to making radical statements.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed that Allen had traveled by train from California to Chicago before arriving in Washington, D.C., where he checked into the Hilton as a guest days before the gala.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche stated during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
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Allen, who holds a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a mechanical engineering degree from Caltech, had a previous public profile as a promising inventor.
In college, he was interviewed by a Los Angeles news station for developing an emergency brake prototype for wheelchairs. Federal records also show he made a $25 donation to a Democratic political action committee supporting Kamala Harris in 2024.
The scene inside the ballroom turned to one of pure panic as Allen attempted to charge toward the stage. He was tackled by security as shots were fired, though President Trump was whisked away unharmed.
Following the incident, the President held a news conference at the White House, adopting a conciliatory tone.
“It’s always shocking when something like this happens,” Trump told reporters, calling for national unity in the face of what he described as the third attempt on his life in two years.
Allen is currently being held by federal authorities and is expected to be formally charged on Monday. The investigation remains ongoing as officials sift through a trail of anti-administration social media posts linked to the suspect.
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