What we're learning about suspected Washington press dinner gunman

The man arrested at the event attended by President Trump is due in court on Monday. Cole Tomas Allen: What we're learning about suspected Washington press dinner gunman Police: Correspondents' dinner suspect charged checkpoint, had multiple weapons Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. President Trump shared this photo appearing to show the shirtless suspect on the floor of the Washington Hilton hotel A photo appearing to show the suspected gunman on the floor of the Washington Hilton hotel What we're learning about suspected Washington press dinner gunman New information is emerging about Cole Tomas Allen - who was identified by US officials as the man who was arrested after shots were fired inside the hotel where the White House Correspondents' Dinner was being held on Saturday night. The 31-year-old suspect, who described himself as a mechanical engineer, game developer and teacher, is from Torrance in the Los Angeles region of California. He is due to appear in court on Monday. Police said Allen exchanged fire with security agents on a level of the Washington Hilton hotel that was one floor above the room in which Trump had gathered with members of his cabinet and journalists. After he was detained, Allen told officials he wanted to shoot officials in the Trump administration, two sources told CBS, the BBC's US news partner. US media are reporting a history of anti-Trump social media posts from 31-year-old Allen, citing law enforcement sources. BBC Verify has been looking into social media accounts with the same username reportedly used to sign a document, described as a manifesto, which is believed to be linked to the suspect. One post on X from November 2024 said the user had voted for Kamala Harris. A person with the same username also posted on the social network Bluesky. In January they wrote: "The country will continue to crash and burn until people stop asking when other people will step up." In April they posted that US President Donald Trump was a "villain" and a "desperate man". Resharing a video of Vice-President JD Vance saying that stopping funding for the war in Ukraine was one of his proudest achievements, the user wrote "he's proud that we don't uphold our commitments" before using an expletive. A Bluesky post earlier this month criticised plans by some journalists to wear white pocket squares at the White House correspondents' dinner, to promote press freedom, calling them "pathetic". Guests take cover near a table after hearing shots at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington. What it was like in the room as shots rang out An armed Secret Service agent stands on stage following the shooting. He is dressed in black body armour and is heavily armed Washington hotel shooting raises questions about Trump security Meanwhile, the BBC's partner CBS News has seen that written document, and other US media have also reported on it. The document said the gunman wanted to target members of the Trump administration "from highest-ranking to lowest", and that while guests and hotel staff were not the intended targets, they would be attacked if necessary to get to the officials. BBC News has not independently verified the alleged writings, which have been described as a manifesto and were reportedly sent to the suspect's family members before the attempted attack. On Sunday, Trump told Fox News that the suspect "had a lot of hatred in his heart for a while", and said his family knew he had "difficulties". He, too, suggested the suspect had a manifesto, and suggested the man was "strongly anti-Christian". Trump later told CBS's 60 Minutes programme that the suspect "was a Christian - believer, and then he became an anti-Christian, and he had a lotta change". Grainy surveillance video of suspect running The suspect was a guest at the Washington Hilton hotel where the correspondents' dinner was taking place, said Washington interim police chief Jeffery Carroll. Carroll added that the suspect had been armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives when he mounted his attack. And he appears to be a lone gunman. Between five and eight gunshots were fired during the incident. CCTV footage posted by Trump shows a person rushing past security officers, who then turn and chase him. Trump later posted a close-up photo showing a shirtless man on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back with Secret Service agents standing around him. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the suspect was targeting administration officials including, most likely, the president. He did not get very far, he said. "He barely broke the perimeter," Blanche said, adding that the suspect had likely travelled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then to Washington DC. FBI agents and police searched an address in California linked to the suspect FBI raid near suspect's home in Torrance, California Pictures later emerged showing FBI agents and police searching an area at a California address believed to be linked to the alleged gunman. On Sunday, the BBC witnessed the usually quiet neighbourhood swarming with media. No-one answered the door at the address, and a stack of journalists' business cards were visible on the front porch. Neighbours seemed shocked. They thought Cole lived in the house with his parents - many said they waved to him regularly but did not know him well. Some of them point out that the garage's windows appear to be covered, which they had not noticed before. "It's definitely not normal for the neighbourhood," says Vince Terrazzino, who walked past the house with his 10-year-old daughter, Alessandra. "Nothing ever happens here," he says. Cole Tomas Allen graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2025, according to his LinkedIn Cole Tomas Allen is seen in his graduation robes in this photo on his LinkedIn profile As part of its work looking into the online presence of the suspect, BBC Verify also found Los Angeles County voter registration records that appear to show he had registered no party preference. According to a Federal Election Commission record, seen by BBC Verify, in October 2024 Allen donated $25 (£18) to the fundraising platform ActBlue with the money earmarked for Kamala Harris' presidential campaign. Allen describes himself as a mechanical engineer, game developer and teacher on LinkedIn. According to his profile, he studied mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) a highly competitive university, where he took part in its Christian fellowship. He graduated with a masters in computer science in 2025 from California State University, Dominguez Hills, marking the milestone by sharing a photo of himself in graduation robes to LinkedIn. He also developed and released a game called "Bohrdom" to the gaming platform Steam. On Facebook, photos of Allen - which BBC Verify has matched to those of his arrest at the Washington Hilton hotel - show him smiling in family photographs at Christmas and graduation events. In December 2024, he was named teacher of the month by C2 Education, which offers tutoring and college test preparation to students, according to the organisation's Facebook post. He has been a part-time teacher there since 2020, his LinkedIn profile says. The Torrance Unified School District told CBS in a statement that Allen has never been an employee of their district. Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for Washington, said the suspect was now facing two charges - using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. She added that he would be formally charged on Monday in federal court. Additional reporting by Regan Morris in Los Angeles Two-panel locator map. The top panel shows a map of the United States with Washington, DC highlighted and a red label reading “Shots fired at White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington DC.” The bottom panel zooms into southern California, showing Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Long Beach, and a red outlined area in the Torrance area labelled “Address being searched in Torrance area.” Distance scales are shown, with BBC branding in the corner. In pictures: Chaos as gunfire heard in Washington DC ballroom Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were rushed from a ballroom after gunfire was heard. The shooting at the White House correspondents' dinner is the third time in three years Trump has been at the centre of a major security incident. Armed Secret Service agents flood the ballroom of a Washington DC hotel as President Trump is rushed off stage. The fund - which Canadians can invest in directly - will help pay for major infrastructure projects in the country, the prime minister says. In a parody aired days before the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Kimmel called Melania an "expectant widow". Questions have been raised about security at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. King Charles's trip to the US comes at a time of strained relations between Washington and London over the Iran war. Oz Pearlman - a self-described "mentalist" - was speaking to Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and press secretary Karoline Leavitt as the attack happened.