Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California, sent a document to family members roughly ten minutes beforeshots rang out at the Washington Hiltonon Saturday night. In it, he called himself the "Friendly Federal Assassin" and laid out his targets, his weapons, and his reasoning in methodical detail.
But one passage in particular has drawn sharp attention. Allen wrote that he was stunned by how little resistance he encountered walking into the hotel carrying multiple firearms.
"Like, the one thing that I immediately noticed walking into the hotel is the sense of arrogance. I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat," he wrote.
He then took his observation a step further, warning that a foreign adversary could have done far worse.
"Like, if I was an Iranian agent, instead of an American citizen, I could have brought a damn Ma Deuce in here and no one would have noticed sh**. Actually insane."
The "Ma Deuce" is a nickname used by soldiers for the M2 Browning, a heavy machine gun that holds the distinction of being the longest-serving weapon in the history of the United States military.
"Apparently no one thought about what happens if someone checks in the day before," he wrote, adding that the level of incompetence he witnessed was "insane" and expressing hope it would be corrected under future leadership.
Authorities confirmed he purchased two handguns and a shotgun from Cap Tactical Firearms, storing them at his parents' home and visiting shooting ranges regularly to train.
He wrote that Secret Service agents would only be engaged if necessary and would be incapacitated non-lethally where possible. Hotel security, Capitol Police, National Guard personnel, hotel staff, and general guests were described as "not targets at all."
In explaining his use of buckshot rather than slugs, Allen said the choice was deliberate, intended to reduce the risk of bullets passing through walls and hitting unintended victims.
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