In an alarming incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, a suspect attempted to breach the event armed with guns and knives. According to President Donald Trump, the individual had penned writings that called for attacks on officials within his administration.
The suspect, identified as Cole Allen, was flagged to Connecticut police by his family, who expressed concerns about his behavior prior to the high-profile gathering in Washington, D.C.
President Trump revealed these details during an interview on Fox News Channel, shedding light on the potential threat that was averted at the media gala.
As new information emerges about this dangerous situation, the investigation continues to unfold.
The suspect is believed to have been targeting President Donald Trump and members of his administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of the glitziest events in the nation’s capital was being held Saturday night with its typically tight security.
Slideshow: Authorities search home of shooting suspect
FBI agents work Sunday, April 26, 2026, at an address in Torrance, Calif., connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner the night before. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
An FBI agent works Sunday, April 26, 2026, at an address in Torrance, Calif., connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner the night before. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
FBI agents work Sunday, April 26, 2026, at an address in Torrance, Calif., connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner the night before. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman’s electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald 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,” Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the two firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by 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.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Slideshow: Suspect apprehended after shooting in DC
Members of law enforcement control shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Trump on Saturday posted this image of a person who caused a disturbance at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. (Truth Social)
Members of law enforcement control shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
U.S. Secret Service agents surround President Donald Trump, third from left, as he is taken from the stage after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
U.S. Secret Service agents surround President Donald Trump before he was taken from the stage after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump, left, is seated on stage as U.S. Secret Service agents respond to take him from the ballroom after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Law enforcement officers respond to reports of a shooting during the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, DC, US on Saturday, April 25, 2026. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner event in Washington Saturday following a security incident at the venue. Photographer: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Authorities believe the suspect fired the shot that hit the Secret Service officer, who is expected to make a full recovery, Blanche said.
“He’s going to be great, he’s going to be fine, and thank God he was wearing a bulletproof vest,” Blanche said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
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 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’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 underway.
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.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” 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.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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,” Trump told reporters in a hastily organized news conference at the White House late Saturday.
