Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The gunman who opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday night, April 25, 2026, has confessed to law enforcement officials that he specifically aimed to target officials in President Donald Trump's administration. The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher and game developer from Torrance, California, was apprehended at the scene by Secret Service agents after he attempted to breach a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the annual gala was underway, armed with two guns, multiple knives and a manifesto detailing his intentions.
According to a law enforcement source who spoke to CBS News, Allen did not explicitly state that his target was President Trump himself, instead confessing that he was going after "administration officials" in attendance at the event. However, federal investigators found writings in Allen's hotel room that clearly listed who he wanted to target, and President Trump himself later told reporters that the suspect left an "anti-Christian manifesto" that called for the targeting of him and his administration officials. In a letter sent to his family minutes before the attack, Allen chillingly described himself as a "Friendly Federal Assassin" and his document as a "manifesto" explaining his motives which included grievances over a range of Trump administration policies.
The dramatic incident unfolded just as the prestigious WHCA dinner was getting underway. Shots were fired at a metal detector screening area at the entrance of the Washington Hilton, prompting Secret Service agents to swiftly evacuate President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, First Lady Melania Trump, and several Cabinet officials to safety. Video footage of the evacuation captured the moment when President Trump, flanked by agents, briefly stumbled and fell but was quickly helped up and escorted away. A Secret Service agent on duty was shot in the chest but was protected by a bulletproof vest, suffering non-life-threatening injuries.
Inside the hotel, the dinner was placed on immediate lockdown. Agents overpowered Allen and took him into custody inside the hotel before he could breach the ballroom where Trump and dignitaries were seated. Allen had passed through a metal detector earlier in the evening but later left the hotel and returned carrying the weapons, which he managed to sneak past secondary checkpoints. Authorities later recovered a shotgun, a handgun, multiple knives, a bulletproof vest and a plastic bag containing his personal writings.
Investigators are now poring over Allen's extensive social media footprint, which revealed numerous anti-Trump posts and a history of radical political rants. Federal prosecutors charged Allen late Sunday with using a firearm to assault a law enforcement officer and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. He is scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge on Monday, April 27. Meanwhile, the White House is consulting with the Secret Service on enhanced security protocols, including considering a bulletproof vest for the President.
President Trump, speaking to reporters on Sunday, labeled the suspect a "sick guy" with a "lot of hatred in his heart", adding that his family had actually contacted law enforcement before the shooting to express concerns about him.
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