A man was detained in Washington after attempting to break into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with weapons. According to CBS News, the suspect was found with a manifesto in which he detailed his intention to attack members of Donald Trump’s administration, listing them in order of priority from highest to lowest ranking officials.
The incident occurred at the entrance of the Washington Hilton hotel, where the event was taking place. Cole Allen, 31, was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and knives. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that Allen tried to force his way past security. Donald Trump and other officials were immediately evacuated, and the dinner itself was canceled.
Motives and details of the manifesto
In the manifesto obtained by CBS News, Allen emphasized that his primary targets were administration officials, not law enforcement, hotel staff, or guests. However, he did not rule out the use of force against them if necessary to achieve his goal. In a letter to relatives, Allen wrote that he did not wish to harm bystanders, but was prepared to do so for the sake of his plan. He also noted that he chose shotgun shells to minimize accidental casualties.
In the text of his manifesto, Allen did not mention Donald Trump directly, but indicated that he intended to act against members of the administration, with the exception of the FBI Director, who was present at the dinner. He specifically stated that he did not intend to target members of the Secret Service, Capitol Police, or National Guard unless absolutely necessary. As a result of the attack, one Secret Service agent was injured but was discharged from the hospital the following day.
Family response and police findings
Allen’s family received an email outlining his plans and immediately contacted Connecticut state police. During a search of the suspect’s home in California and his hotel room in Washington, additional notes and documents were found confirming preparations for the attack. According to CBS News, Allen’s sister told investigators that he often expressed radical views and spoke about the need to “change something” in society.
Event security and criticism of protection measures
In his manifesto, Allen criticized the level of security at the dinner, noting that security did not provide proper control either at the entrance or inside the hotel. He claimed that if he had been an agent from another country, he could have brought more dangerous weapons to the event. The dinner organizers and security services restricted access only to certain areas, while the hotel continued to operate as usual.
More than 2,500 people attended the dinner, including government officials and journalists. Donald Trump accepted the invitation to this event for the first time in several years, but after the incident announced his intention to hold a new dinner within a month.
