US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the man accused of attempting to attack administration officials at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner had written an anti-Christian manifesto — and that the suspect's own family had previously raised concerns about him with law enforcement.
"He was a Christian, believer, and then he became an anti-Christian, and he had a lot of change," Trump told CBS' '60 Minutes' Show. "He was probably a pretty sick guy."
The suspect, identified by officials as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was arrested at the scene of Saturday's shooting at the Washington Hilton.
According to a law enforcement official who spoke to Reuters, the manifesto was sent to members of Allen's family shortly before the attack.
Allen called himself the "Friendly Federal Assassin" and listed administration officials as targets in the manifesto, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest — though not including FBI Director Kash Patel, the official said.
As per the report, the manifesto also revealed how Allen gained access to the venue. "I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat," the author reportedly wrote, mocking what it called the "insane" lack of security at the Hilton.
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Investigators said Allen traveled by Amtrak from Los Angeles to Washington and checked into the hotel on Friday.
Train passengers in the United States are not required to pass through airport-style metal detectors, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche noted on multiple Sunday talk shows. Blanche said Allen would be charged in federal court with assault of a federal officer and discharging a firearm, with further indictments expected.
Officials said Allen fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint before being tackled and arrested. The agent escaped serious injury because the bullet struck his protective vest. Allen had purchased two handguns and a shotgun, stored at his parents' home, the White House said.
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Trump, who has historically boycotted the annual media gala, requested that the dinner be rescheduled within 30 days. White House Correspondents' Association President Weijia Jiang of CBS said the group's board would determine next steps.
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