President Trump faced a third assassination attempt in two years Saturday night, and the level of security at the event is being questioned.
The gunman opened fire outside the banquet area of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington. In his online manifesto released before the attack, the suspect referred to himself as the “friendly federal assassin.” He also mocked the Secret Service for what he called “incompetence.”
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, describes himself in his LinkedIn profile as a mechanical engineer, computer scientist, computer game developer and teacher, who once interned at NASA and was once named “teacher of the month.”
In an AI-enhanced video, Allen can be seen running past Secret Service agents toward the ballroom where President Trump, administration officials and thousands of guests were seated.
The suspect, armed with a shotgun, a handgun and knives, was tackled and arrested after opening fire, striking a Secret Service agent wearing a bullet-proof vest. The agent was sent to the hospital but has since been released.
President Trump described to “60 Minutes” how the chaos unfolded.
“We heard a big bang, and it was either a gunshot or it was– a tray of dishes, which happens a lot in ballrooms. And I was hoping it was a tray, but it wasn’t,” Trump recalled.
The president and first lady were unharmed.
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Allen had checked into the hotel as a guest before the event, bringing his weapons with him.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Allen, while a student at Caltech, was active in the Christian Fellowship there. He reportedly attended services at churches in Pasadena and Torrance.
In his 1,000-word manifesto, Allen writes, “Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes. … I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.”
Allen also mocked what he believed was lax security at the dinner, writing in his manifesto, “What … is the Secret Service doing? … No … security. Not in transport. Not in the hotel. Not in the event. This level of incompetence is insane.”
Retired Secret Service Agent Don Mihalek said, “It’s impossible for the agents to take over the entire hotel and close it down, or some people have suggested, shut off the main lobby and screen everybody coming in.”
Former DHS official John Cohen said, “Being a hotel allowed people to enter the location without their bags being searched and without being vetted. So these are the types of locations that are really challenging.”
The Secret Service is now facing questions after this third assassination attempt against President Trump. He’s calling on all Americans to recommit to resolving their differences peaceably.
