A report released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified the Iran war as a possible motivating factor for Cole Allen, who faces multiple felony charges for allegedly attempting to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25.
The April 27 report, obtained by Reuters, found that Allen, 31, had “multiple social and political grievances” and concluded that U.S. military operations in Iran “may have contributed to his decision to conduct the attack.” The assessment cited Allen’s social media posts criticizing the war.
In an email sent to his family the night of the attack, Allen wrote that he was “no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes” and indicated that members of the Trump administration were targets, “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.”
Allen also appeared to comment on security at the Washington Hilton, where the event was held, writing, “If I was an Iranian agent, instead of an American citizen, I could have brought a damn Ma Deuce in here, and no one would have noticed s**t.”
In the same message, he described emotional distress, writing, “I want to cry for all the things I wanted to do and never will, for all the people whose trust this betrays. I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.”
