Cole Tomas Allen was arrested for an attempted shooting near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. A manifesto revealed his plan to target Trump administration officials but explicitly spared FBI Director Kash Patel, a key puzzle for investigators. Allen was intercepted by Secret Service before reaching the event.
A manifesto allegedly written by Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the shooting near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, has revealed a disturbing plan that targeted top officials in President Donald Trump’s administration while notably sparing FBI Director Kash Patel. The document, sent to family members roughly ten minutes before the attack, is now central to a federal investigation into what authorities describe as a politically motivated assault.
According to investigators, Allen arrived at the Washington Hilton carrying two handguns and a shotgun before forcing his way through a security checkpoint. Secret Service agents intercepted him before he could reach the ballroom, where President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, senior officials and journalists had gathered for the annual event. One agent was reportedly hit during the exchange of gunfire, but body armour prevented serious injury. Allen was arrested at the scene and is expected to face multiple federal charges.
The most shocking revelation came from Allen’s 1,000-word manifesto, in which he listed the officials he intended to target. In the note, he wrote: “Administration officials (not including [FBI Director Kash] Patel): they are targets, prioritised from highest-ranking to lowest.” The explicit mention of Patel as the lone exception has raised immediate questions among investigators, though no clear explanation has yet emerged for why the FBI chief was omitted from the alleged hit list.
Allen also tried to justify his actions in ideological terms. In one passage, he wrote: “Turning the other cheek when someone else is oppressed is not Christian behaviour; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes.” Authorities say the manifesto contained repeated references to immigration detention, foreign policy and what he described as systemic abuse under the current administration. The language has led officials to examine whether Allen had ties to extremist networks or had been radicalised online.
Another section of the document detailed the suspect’s tactical planning. Allen wrote: “In order to minimise casualties, I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs.” Investigators believe this suggests the attack was premeditated and carefully planned, with Allen considering not just who he wanted to target but how to carry out the assault with maximum symbolic impact.
President Trump later reacted strongly to the manifesto, calling Allen “a sick guy” and claiming the suspect had “a lot of hatred in his heart.” Trump also said Allen’s family had previously alerted law enforcement about his disturbing views before the shooting.
The unexplained decision to spare Patel has now become one of the most puzzling elements of the case. For investigators, the manifesto not only outlines a failed attack but also provides a troubling insight into the suspect’s motives, beliefs and intended targets in what could have become a far deadlier political tragedy.
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