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White House correspondents' dinner shooting: Suspect described himself as 'friendly federal assassin' in letter, sources say

PHOTO: The Washington Hilton hotel is seen on Sunday, April, 26, 2026, in Washington.
3:37
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Trump recalls White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting in interview
By Christopher Watson, Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: April 26, 2026, 4:01 PM

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and other dignitaries are safe after a shooting incident outside the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner Saturday night at the Washington, D.C., Hilton hotel.

The incident took place near the main magnetometer screening area at the event, according to the Secret Service. A suspect, whom law enforcement authorities identified as Cole Allen of Torrance, California, is in custody, officials said.

A Secret Service agent who was wearing an armored vest was struck in the chest, President Trump said at a press briefing following the incident. The Secret Service agent suffered non life-threatening injuries, according to the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department. No one else was injured in the incident.

A motive for the attack was not immediately known.

Key Headlines

  • Suspect used stairwell out of public view to get close to ballroom, sources say
  • WHCD suspect was 'very intelligent ... normal and friendly,' say former tutoring students
  • Trump recalls shooting in interview, says he read alleged gunman's manifesto
  • Suspect described himself as 'friendly federal assassin' in letter to family, sources say
  • 'A harrowing moment': WHCA president shares statement about dinner shooting
Here's how the news is developing.

Apr 26, 2026 4:01 PM

Handwritten notes found in hotel room of WHCA dinner shooting suspect, per law enforcement sources

Handwritten notes found in the hotel room of the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting Saturday appear to have been left with the intent that officials would find them, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

Sources tell ABC News that the suspect, Cole Allen, allegedly made brief statements to law enforcement officials after his arrest that he was focusing on Trump administration officials, and that he allegedly indicated that authorities would be able to find his thoughts in written form.

PHOTO: Law enforcement detains a suspect in the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, in Washington, April 25, 2026.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Law enforcement detains a suspect in the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, in Washington, April 25, 2026.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social

Sources say early evidence suggests that Allen's plans were to target as many people as possible in a mass shooting.

According to law enforcement sources, the alleged writings expressed a distaste for the Trump administration and also for Washington, D.C., elites.

Other similar writings were found in Allen's California home, sources told ABC News.

-ABC News' Jack Date, Pierre Thomas, Luke Barr, Aaron Katersky, Josh Margolin, and Katherine Faulders


Apr 26, 2026 1:40 PM

'The system worked,' Acting Attorney General Blanche says

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that "the system worked" and kept President Donald Trump and other leaders safe from the shooting Saturday night at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner that they were attending.

"The system worked; law enforcement and the Secret Service protected all of us. The man barely got past the perimeter. And so when you have a perimeter designed to keep people safe, like President Trump, and it works – that's something that should be applauded," Blanche told "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos.

PHOTO: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears on ABC News' "This Week" on April 26, 2026.
ABC News
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears on ABC News' "This Week" on April 26, 2026.
ABC News

Blanche said the suspect, whom law enforcement has identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen from Torrance, Calif., was likely acting alone, although investigations are ongoing.

"We believe that he traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then Chicago to Washington, D.C.," Blanche said.

Asked how the suspect may have gotten a firearm into the hotel, Blanche replied, "It's a good question. And listen, I'm not sure. It appears that he checked in on the 24th [of April] to the hotel, and we're still looking at video surveillance and footage of where he walked and how he got in and how those firearms got in, but at the end of the day, I expect we'll have a lot more about that in the coming days."

-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim


Apr 26, 2026 12:34 PM

Suspect Cole Allen held by DC police ahead of Monday court appearance

Cole Thomas Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting, is being held in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department's Third District after being released from an area hospital overnight, according to law enforcement sources.

Allen is expected to appear in court on Monday.

A Secret Service Uniformed Division officer was also treated and released overnight from a different area hospital, according to sources.

-ABC News' Jack Date



Apr 26, 2026 11:56 AM

King Charles reaches out to Trump after WHCA incident, royal source says

Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla reached out to President Donald Trump following the incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, according to a royal source.

"Their Majesties have reached out privately to The President and First Lady to express their sympathies with all those affected on the night and their gratitude to the security services who prevented further injury," a royal source told ABC News.

PHOTO: Britain's King Charles looks on as he meets with frontline workers at Dumfries House, Ayrshire.
Jane Barlow via Reuters
Britain's King Charles looks on as he meets with frontline workers and members from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services and Police Scotland who assisted in managing the fire at Glasgow Central Station, in March this year, at Dumfries House, Ayrshire. Picture date: Wednesday April 22, 2026.
Jane Barlow via Reuters

The king and queen are scheduled to arrive on Monday in Washington, where they’ll be hosted by Trump and first lady Melania Trump for a state visit, according to the White House.

ABC News' Zoe Magee


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