Washington shooting suspect called himself ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’

The man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner sent writings to family members minutes before the shooting referring to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and railing against Trump administration policies, officials said.

The messages, 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.

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’s mindset and possible motives.

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

Allen’s brother contacted police in New London, Connecticut, after receiving the writings, according to the official. A police spokesperson said they contacted federal law enforcement after receiving that information.

Federal agents have also interviewed Allen’s sister in Maryland, who told investigators her brother had legally purchased several weapons from a California gun store and stored them at their parents’ home in Torrance without their knowledge.

She described her brother as prone to making radical statements, the official said.

Allen legally bought a .38-caliber semi-automatic pistol in October 2023 and a 12-gauge shotgun two years later.

Authorities are still trying to determine how specific Allen’s alleged targets were. Officials have said investigators are examining whether his grievances centred on Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance personally or reflected a broader hostility toward the administration.

Acting Justice Department head Todd Blanche said the suspect travelled by train from California and checked in as a guest days earlier at the Washington hotel where the Saturday night gala dinner was held with its typically tight security.

He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a violent scene that resulted in shots being fired, Mr Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.

“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Mr Blanche told NBC’s Meet The Press.

Video posted by Mr Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.

Authorities believe the suspect fired the shot that hit the Secret Service officer, who is expected to make a full recovery, Mr Blanche said.

“He’s going to be great, he’s going to be fine, and thank God he was wearing a bulletproof vest,” Mr Blanche said.

Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.

A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted on Saturday night by Mr Trump.

The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Allen earned a bachelor’s 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.

The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got under way.

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

Mr Trump was unusually conciliatory after what he saw as a third attempt on his life in 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.

“It’s always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes,” Mr Trump told reporters in a hastily organised news conference at the White House late on Saturday.