Your support helps us to tell the story Read more Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more

The suspected shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner sent a manifesto critical of President Donald Trump to his family before he allegedly opened fire at the Washington Hilton, The New York Post reports.

Authorities identified the shooter as 31-year-old Cole Allen, a teacher from Torrance, California. Allen’s brother notified police in the New London, Connecticut, police department. Allen’s document was signed “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen.”

The Post reported that the manifesto showed that Allen allegedly wanted to kill officials from the Trump administration.

“Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed,” he wrote. Allen would proceed to list off some of the actions from the Trump administration that allegedly drove him to open fire.

“I’m not the person raped in a detention camp. I’m not the fisherman executed without trial,” he said. “I’m not a schoolkid blown up, or a child starved, or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration. Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes.”

open image in gallery ( Reuters )

Allen said that officials from the Trump administration — with the exception of FBI Director Kash Patel — were targets for his alleged rampage.

“I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes,” he wrote in reference to the president.

Allen also laid out how he planned to stage his attack.

“In order to minimize casualties, I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls),” he wrote. “I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary (on the basis that most people *chose* to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit) but I really hope it doesn’t come to that.”

The manifesto also highlighted the “insane” lack of security at the Washington Hilton, saying that Iranian agents could have come to the dinner with more lethal weaponry and “no one would have noticed s***.”

Many other attendees, including reporters, members of the Trump administration and guests at the dinner criticized the lax security at the dinner, particularly given the multiple assassination attempts against the president.

open image in gallery Officials detained the suspect after he tried to storm the dinner ( Reuters )

Like, the one thing that I immediately noticed walking into the hotel is the sense of arrogance,” Allen wrote. “I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat.”

Ahead of the dinner, attendees only had to show their ticket and go through one round of magnetometers to get to the main ballroom where the event would be held, which Allen noted.

“The security at the event is all outside, focused on protestors and current arrivals, because apparently no one thought about what happens if someone checks in the day before,” he said. “Like, this level of incompetence is insane, and I very sincerely hope it’s corrected by the time this country gets actually competent leadership again.”

Police said Allen had purchased two handguns and a shotgun at Cap Tactical Firearms. He reportedly stored them at his parents home and practiced at a shooting range.

Allen was reportedly part of a group known as the “Wide Awakes” and reportedly attended a “No Kings” rally to protest the president.