A man suspected of attempting to carry out an attack during the White House Correspondents' Dinner had outlined plans to target senior officials in President Donald Trump's administration, while explicitly excluding one figure, according to a report by The New York Post. The suspect, named in reports as Cole Tomas Allen, is said to have sent a detailed written document to family members shortly before exchanging gunfire with US Secret Service agents at the Washington Hilton in Washington DC on Saturday.
Inthe document,Allen allegedly described himself as the "Cole 'coldForce' 'Friendly Federal Assassin' Allen" and set out an intention to kill the president and senior administration officials. However, he wrote: "Administration officials (not including Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest," referring to Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
It remains unclear why Patel was excluded. Reports indicate he was escorted from the hotel after the shooting and later appeared alongside the president at a press briefing at the White House.
In remarks at that briefing, Patel praised Trump, saying: "You give them the resources that they need… they know that you have their back, and that is a changing dynamic in this country."
According to the reported document, Allen wrote that as a "citizen of the United States of America" he was "no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes", in an apparent reference to the president.
He also stated he intended to "minimalize casualties", writing that Secret Service agents would be targeted "if necessary" and that other law enforcement and security personnel would not be targeted "unless they shoot at me". He added that guests and staff were not intended targets.
However, he also wrote: "I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary… but I really hope it doesn't come to that."
Authorities say the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives when the incident occurred. He was detained at the scene. Officials have not formally confirmed all details of his identity.
Law enforcement sources say the suspect is believed to have travelled by train from California to Washington DC. A profile linked to him describes a background in engineering and work as a teacher and independent game developer.
A family member told investigators he had made increasingly radical statements and frequently spoke about plans to do "something" to address perceived problems in society.
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