Just ten minutes before the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner began, Cole Tomas Allen sent an email to his family members offering a detailed and disturbing look into the suspect's motives, political anger, and final reflections before the attack.
The message, signed with the aliases 'coldForce' and 'Friendly Federal Assassin', combines apologies to loved ones, criticisms of government leaders, and comments about what Allen described as failures in event security.
Authorities have not publicly verified every aspect of the manifesto, but the document is already drawing intense scrutiny from investigators seeking to understand Allen's planning and state of mind before the violence unfolded.
'And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.' – Cole Tomas Allen
The email opens with Allen apologising to multiple groups, including his parents, co-workers, students, travellers, hotel staff, and other individuals he believed were placed at risk by his actions.
He acknowledged deceiving those around him about his whereabouts and referenced the likelihood that he would be injured during the attack. He also expressed sympathy and regret toward people he believed had suffered from broader political and social injustices.
The opening section presents a contradictory tone: remorse toward personal acquaintances while simultaneously justifying violence as necessary.
Much of the manifesto centres on Allen's fury toward the Trump administration. He repeatedly used inflammatory language to describe leaders he viewed as corrupt or criminal.
Allen wrote things like: 'The Pedophile, The Rapist, and the Traitor', referencing the Epstein files, cases and court convictions, public grievances and testimonies against President Donald Trump, despite not specifically mentioning the president's name.
Allen framed the attack as an act of personal responsibility, writing that he could no longer allow elected officials to reflect their crimes onto him as an American citizen. He claimed he had waited for what he believed was the first realistic opportunity to act.
Source: International Business Times UK
