The man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump admitted he was prepared to shoot through crowds to reach his targets, according to a disturbing manifesto sent minutes before the attack.
Cole Tomas Allen, the suspected gunman at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, allegedly outlined in detail how he planned to carry out the shooting at the Washington Hilton, including the weapons he would use and how far he was willing to go.
Chilling details of the plan
In one of the most shocking passages, he wrote: “In order to minimize casualties I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls). 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 chilling statement reveals the suspect had not only planned the attack in advance, but had also considered the potential for mass casualties, appearing to justify harm against those attending the high-profile political event. The manifesto, reportedly sent to family members just 10 minutes before the shooting, laid out what Allen described as his “rules of engagement,” with senior government figures as his primary targets, the NY Post reports.
Targets and justifications
The 30-year-old also wrote: “Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.” He added that law enforcement would only be attacked if necessary, stating: “Secret Service: they are targets only if necessary, and to be incapacitated non-lethally if possible.”
But it is his apparent willingness to shoot through bystanders that has caused the greatest alarm, with experts warning it underscores the extreme danger faced by everyone inside the venue. Elsewhere in the manifesto, Allen attempted to justify his actions, writing: “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes,” in an apparent reference to Trump.
Apologies and contradictions
He also included a series of apologies to family, colleagues and strangers caught up in the attack, saying: “I don’t expect forgiveness, but if I could have seen any other way to get this close, I would have taken it. Again, my sincere apologies.”
In a bizarre contradiction, the suspect both expressed remorse and described his plan in cold, calculated terms, even discussing ammunition choices and their potential impact. The document ended with a furious rant about security at the hotel, where he claimed he was able to enter armed without suspicion.
“What the hell is the Secret Service doing?” he wrote. “Like, I expected security cameras at every bend… What I got is nothing. No damn security. I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat.”
The attack unfolds
The attack itself unfolded in seconds, with the suspect running toward the ballroom before being tackled by security. One officer was shot but survived thanks to a bulletproof vest, while Trump and other senior officials were rushed to safety.
Now, investigators are looking through the manifesto, with particular focus on the passages suggesting the suspect was prepared to inflict widespread harm, raising urgent questions about how such a detailed and planned attack came so close to being carried out.
