'Federal assassin' in custody after attempting to kill Trump, top administration officials at White House Correspondents' Dinner

Cole Allen apprehended by authorities at the Washington Hilton.

A heavily armed man who touted himself as a "friendly federal assassin" in a manifesto was apprehended Saturday night after authorities say he attempted a mass shooting at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner inside the Washington Hilton in the nation's capital.

Cole Allen, 31, a teacher from Torrance, California, was arrested Saturday evening after, according to authorities, he rushed toward the ballroom where the dinner was about to get under way on Saturday evening, and managed to fire several shots with the rifle he was carrying. One Secret Service agent was hit, but was unharmed because of the bulletproof vest he was wearing. Agents were able to stop Allen and subdue him on the floor outside the ballroom. Meanwhile, inside, Secret Service agents rushed President Trump, the first lady and members of his cabinet to safety until the space could be secured. 

Trump later posted photos on social media showing Allen lying face down and shirtless in the hallway of the hotel, his hands restrained behind his back. He also posted security footage showing Allen bolting toward the ballroom with the rifling in hand, and then Secret Service agents responding to the attack.

Allen, according to numerous reports, had become an extreme leftist, who was rabidly anti-Trump, according to his social media posts, which have been unearthed since the attempted assassination. In posts on his old X account, he predicted Kamala Harris would win the 2024 election, and referred to Trump as a "Nazi." In late 2024, he was recognized as "teacher of the month" by his school in Torrance, which is in the Los Angeles area. 

Allen also wrote a manifesto that totaled more than 1,000 words, which he sent to family members in the moments before he attempted the attack. The New York Post obtained the full manifesto, which he began by "apologizing to everyone whose trust I abused."

Allen went on to unleash a torrent of anti-Trump talking points that leftists and the media have repeated for much of the last decade. And he cited his Christian faith and why he was overlooking some of the tenets of Christianity in order to commit what he hoped would be a deadly crime. "Turning the other cheek when someone else is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes," Allen wrote in the manifesto. 

Allen also revealed that he checked into the hotel on Friday with an arsenal of weapons including guns and knives, and marveled that he was able to elude security at a venue hosting such a high-profile event. He signed the manifesto as "Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen.”

He was also reportedly a member of the leftist group known as the Wide Awakes. Allen is facing at least two gun charges, including assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon, and is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday. Trump appeared on 60 Minutes on Sunday night to discuss the unexpected turn of events. Watch a clip from that interview below.