Manila Bulletin – Accused gunman at correspondents’ dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says

Guests begin to exit during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives traveled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.

Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington’s glitziest events was being held Saturday night.

Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.

Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman’s electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being rushed off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.

The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.

“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”