Washington shooting suspect shared anti-Donald Trump manifesto with family just minutes before attack

Jack Walters
Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:35:54 +0000

Washington shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen allegedly sent his manifesto just moments before last night's attack, a new report has revealed.

Allen, who adopted the moniker "friendly federal assassin", used the manifesto to outline his intent to target members of Donald Trump's administration.

The written statement was handed over to law enforcement by a family member who received it," The New York Post has reported.

The 31-year-old teacher seemingly planned out the shooting, detailing both his intended victims and his reasoning for the attack.

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Allen's written justification centred on the suffering of others rather than any personal grievance.

"Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed," he wrote.

"I'm not the person raped in a detention camp. I'm not the fisherman executed without trial."

The 31-year-old, who is accused of rushing a security checkpoint armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives, continued: "I'm not a schoolkid blown up or a child starved or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration."

The suspect also framed his actions through a religious lens, arguing that failing to act when others face oppression amounts to "complicity in the oppressor's crimes" rather than Christian conduct.

The manifesto detailed Allen's targeting methodology, identifying "administration officials (not including [FBI Director Kash] Patel)" as his intended victims, ranked by seniority from highest to lowest.

He also appeared to describe Mr Trump as "a paedophile, rapist and traitor" whose actions he was "no longer willing to permit".

Allen, who donated to Kamala Harris's 2024 US Presidential Election campaign, added: "In order to minimise casualties, I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls)."

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Following the release of the suspect's supposed manifesto, Mr Trump revealed Allen's family knew of the 31-year-old's difficulties.

The US President, who faced two other assassination attempts on the 2024 US Presidential Election campaign trail, told Fox News: “It was a religious thing.

“He had a manifesto, can you believe it? He’s got some big problems with the rest of his life.”

Mr Trump added: “His family knew that he had difficulty ... maybe they should have reported him a little more strongly, probably, but it’s a hard thing to do, I guess.”

Allen, who is not cooperating with authorities, has no prior convictions and was not previously on US law enforcement's watchlist.

He was recently awarded "teacher of the month" at the California Institute of Technology.

However, the manifesto also revealed how the suspect had booked into the hotel ahead of the gala event.

Attendees only had to show their ticket and go through one round of magnetometers to get to the main ballroom.

Allen wrote: “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.

“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.”

Following the release of the manifesto, Mr Trump reiterated that King Charles's trip to the US is going ahead as scheduled.

The US President also appeared to use the shooting as a reason to continue with the plans for a ballroom in the White House again.