The suspect arrested and charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday has been identified by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as Cole Tomas Allen, but who is the 31-year-old California man now at the centre of a high-profile federal investigation?

Allen arrived in Washington, D.C., on April 24 from the coastal town of Torrance, Calif., where he had worked as a part-time tutor and game developer and graduated from the California Institute of Technology with a degree in mechanical engineering, the New York Times and Reuters reported.

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Suspected WHCD gunman charged with attempting to assassinate Trump

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According to the New York Times, Allen was born in Los Angeles County and is the eldest of four siblings. Former college mates have described him as a hardworking individual with strong Christian values.

During his time as an undergraduate student, Allen belonged to a campus Christian fellowship and was involved in the Nerf Club, the U.S. outlet reported, where members organized foam-toy battles on campus.

A fellowship member told the New York Times that Allen generally kept to himself, was studious and was outspoken and passionate about his evangelical Christian beliefs.

“He was definitely a strong believer in evangelical Christianity at the time that I knew him,” the fellowship member, Elizabeth Terlinden, told the outlet.

News of Allen’s arrest reportedly sparked confusion among his students, including Max Harris, a high school senior whom Allen had been tutoring for several months.

“He seemed like a completely average guy,” Harris told the New York Times on Saturday night as he gathered with others outside Allen’s home, swarmed with federal investigators.

“Like, I never would have expected anything like this from a guy like him.”

Allen obtained his bachelor’s degree in ​mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2017 and a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills, in 2025, according to Reuters.

Bin Tang, a professor of computer science at the university, told the New York Times he taught Allen in several lectures.

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“I am very shocked to see the news,” Tang reportedly said in an email to the New York Times. “He was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions.”

Caltech said in a statement to Reuters that a person of that name graduated in 2017.

Politically, he was registered as a “no party preference” voter — California’s equivalent of an independent — and the only political donation on record under his name is a $25 contribution to Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign, the New York Times reported.

Allen attended Pacific Lutheran High School in Gardena, Calif., where he was remembered by a former volleyball teammate for his inquisitiveness and intellect, who told NBC News that Allen was a “borderline genius” and “super stable.”

“Other people study hard,” the ex-teammate recalled. “He didn’t have to study. It would just come to him. He was really, really smart.”

Ahead of travelling to Washington, D.C., according to written notes reportedly belonging to Allen and shared with the New York Times by law enforcement officials, Allen gave his students and colleagues a series of explanations for his absence and, before leaving, told his mother and father that he had an interview.

In its release identifying Allen as the alleged shooter, the DOJ said the 31-year-old suspect made a reservation at the Washington Hilton hotel for three nights, from April 24 to April 26, and that he travelled to the capital by train on April 24 from his home near Los Angeles to Chicago, then from Chicago to Washington, D.C., before checking into the hotel later that evening.

His writings appeared to outline plans to look for certain U.S. officials at the Washington Hilton, according to the New York Times.

“Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest,” Allen’s notes read, the U.S. outlet reported.

“I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done,” he added, in a note reported on separately by NBC News.

In an email, obtained by law enforcement and released by the DOJ, written to his family members and former employer shortly before the alleged assassination attempt, Allen said, “I wish I could have said anything earlier, but doing so would have made none of this possible. My sincerest apologies for all the trouble I’ve caused.”

Allen signed the email “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin Allen,” according to the DOJ.

In a statement published in the DOJ release, Attorney General Todd Blanche said preliminary evidence indicated Allen had acted alone.

Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia added that Allen had allegedly travelled “across the country with deadly weapons and a plan to assassinate the President of the United States.”

“The swift and courageous response of the Secret Service officers prevented unimaginable tragedy. There is no room in this city for political violence,” she continued.

Allen, who was not shot during the ordeal but was taken to hospital for minor injuries, appeared in court Monday to face federal charges after the chaotic encounter Saturday that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being hurried off the stage unharmed, and guests ducking for cover underneath their tables.

Allen was ordered to remain jailed pending additional court hearings and faces up to life in prison if convicted of the assassination count alone.

— With files from Reuters and The Associated Press

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