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The gunman who charged a security checkpoint and opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunman was targeting Trump officials and wanted to “take whoever he could”, according to reports.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, told police he was going after “administration officials” at the press gala inside the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, DC, CBS News reported, citing sources.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche later confirmed the alleged admission.
“He was trying to just breach his way in and take whoever he could,” one law enforcement source told The NY Post.
US President Donald and First Lady Melania Trump were rushed from the stage after a gunman opened fire at the event around 8.30pm on Saturday, local time.
The gunman shot at a Secret Service officer whose life was ultimately saved by a bullet proof vest.
The major security lapse comes just seven months after the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, and two failed assassination attempts on Mr Trump. In July 2024, Mr Trump was shot in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and two months later survived another assassination attempt at his Florida golf club.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Trump said there was no indication the shooting was linked to the US and Israel’s war with Iran.
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“I don’t think so, but you never know,” he said. “We’re going to know a lot. We have the best people in the world working on it and we’re going to know a lot.”
The gunman who charged a security checkpoint and opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunman was targeting Trump officials Saturday night, according to a report.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, told police he was going after “administration officials” at the press gala inside the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, DC, CBS News reported, citing sources.
He didn’t specify if he was targeting anyone in particular, or if he was trying to kill US President Donald Trump specifically, according to the outlet.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche later confirmed the alleged admission to NBC News.
The gunman who allegedly opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner took a cross-country train from his California home to Washington, DC especially to carry out the attack.
Cole Allen, a 31-year-old engineering graduate from CalTech, was subdued moments after he allegedly bolted past security and fired multiple shots near the packed ballroom at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night local time.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News Sunday’s Shannon Bream that Allen took a train from Los Angeles to Chicago, then hopped on another train for the final leg to Washington, DC.
He said that officials “don’t know at this point” why he chose to travel by train, but speculated it could be “because he had those firearms with them.”
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9:04 PM
Apr 26, 2026
A former high school volleyball teammate of Cole Thomas Allen has described the alleged shooter as “borderline genius” and “super stable”.
Speaking to NBC News on the condition of anonymity, the former classmate who attended Pacific Lutheran High School in Gardena, California with Allen said he was known for his inquisitiveness and intellect.
“Other people study hard,” the ex-teammate told the broadcaster. “He didn’t have to study. It would just come to him. He was really, really smart.”
The source said Allen was interested in computers and coding and was also a very good writer. “Across the board, he was really knowledgeable, really curious,” the ex-teammate said.
FBI agents have swarmed the Torrance, California home of suspected shooter Cole Thomas Allen.
Torrance is a city of about 147,00 people, 30km south of Los Angeles.
Federal agents, including a heavily armed FBI tactical team, arrived early on Sunday morning while officers from Torrance Police Department set up a perimeter and pushed media back.
“Those residences are being secured right now,” Jason Pack, a retired FBI supervisory special agent, told Fox News. “Agents are establishing a perimeter, making sure nobody enters or leaves, and waiting for a warrant.”
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Gunman did not name Trump specifically, just ‘administration officials,’ law enforcement sources say Asiye Yilmaz 26 April 2026•Update: 26 April 2026 ISTANBUL The suspect in the shooting incident outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday evening told authorities he intended…
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