{"id":412417,"date":"2026-04-27T00:16:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T00:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/412417\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T00:16:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T00:16:19","slug":"washington-shooting-suspect-sent-anti-trump-writings-to-family-before-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/412417\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington shooting suspect sent anti-Trump writings to family before attack"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The man\u00a0accused of opening fire\u00a0at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner railed against Trump administration policies and referred to himself as a \u201cFriendly Federal Assassin\u201d in writings sent to family members minutes before the shooting that authorities increasingly believe was politically motivated<\/a>, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation.<\/p>\n

The writings, sent shortly before shots were fired at the Washington Hilton, made repeated references to President Donald Trump without naming him directly and alluded to grievances over a range of administration actions and recent events, including US strikes on drug smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific, the official said.<\/p>\n

The official was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n

Investigators are treating the writings, along with a trail of social media posts and interviews with family members, as some of the clearest evidence yet of the suspect\u2019s mindset and possible motives.<\/p>\n

Authorities also uncovered what the official described as numerous anti-Trump social media posts linked to the suspect,\u00a0Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old California man accused of trying to breach a security checkpoint at the dinner while armed with multiple weapons.<\/p>\n

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Allen\u2019s brother contacted police in New London, Connecticut, after receiving the writings, according to the official. In a statement, the New London Police Department said it was contacted at 10:49 p.m., about two hours after the shooting, by an individual who wanted to share information related to it. The police department said it then immediately notified federal law enforcement.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tFBI agents walking door to door to try to speak with neighbors, April 26, 2026, near an address in Torrance, California., connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner the night before. (Damian Dovarganes\/AP)<\/p>\n

Federal agents have also interviewed Allen\u2019s sister in Maryland, who told investigators her brother had legally purchased several weapons from a California gun store and stored them at their parents\u2019 home in Torrance without their knowledge, according to the official.<\/p>\n

She described her brother as prone to making radical statements, the official said.<\/p>\n

Allen legally bought a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol in October 2023 and a 12-gauge shotgun two years later, according to the official and another law enforcement official who also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.<\/p>\n

Trump officials were targets<\/p>\n

Authorities are still trying to determine how specific Allen\u2019s alleged targets were. Officials have said investigators are examining whether his grievances centered on Trump and Vice President JD Vance personally or reflected a broader hostility toward the administration.<\/p>\n

Allen is believed to have traveled by train from California to Chicago and then onto Washington, where he checked himself in as a guest days earlier at the hotel days earlier where the gala dinner was held\u00a0with its typically tight security, said acting attorney general Todd Blanche. He is believed to have acted alone and is set to face criminal charges on Monday.<\/p>\n

Law enforcement officials who have interviewed Allen\u2019s relatives and examined the gunman\u2019s electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner.<\/p>\n

He\u00a0attempted to charge\u00a0into the cavernous ballroom at the\u00a0Washington Hilton\u00a0but was tackled to the ground in a violent scene that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being hurried off the stage unharmed and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tFBI officers leaving the scene after responding to an address connected to Cole Tomas Allen, the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner on April 26, 2026, in Torrance, California (William Lang\/AP)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,\u201d Blanche told NBC\u2019s \u201cMeet the Press.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tCole Tomas Allen (LinkedIn)<\/p>\n

A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match\u00a0the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master\u2019s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.<\/p>\n

Allen earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.<\/p>\n

A local ABC station in Los Angeles included an interview with Allen during his senior year of college as\u00a0part of a story\u00a0about new technologies to help people as they age. He had developed a prototype for a new type of emergency brake for wheelchairs.<\/p>\n

Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records.<\/p>\n

Chaotic scene<\/p>\n

The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.<\/p>\n

The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tPresident Donald Trump arriving at the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after a shooting incident outside the ballroom at the annual White House Correspondents\u2019 Association Dinner in Washington, April 25, 2026. (Tom Brenner\/AP)<\/p>\n

\u201cOut of the way, sir!\u201d someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a \u201cGod Bless America\u201d chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.<\/p>\n

After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.<\/p>\n

Trump was\u00a0unusually conciliatory\u00a0after what he saw as a\u00a0third attempt on his life\u00a0in less than two years. He suggested that his personal politics had made him a repeated target, but he also called for unity and bipartisan healing in an increasingly violent world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes,\u201d Trump told reporters in a hastily organized news conference at the White House late Saturday.<\/p>\n


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