The feds say the man charged with attempting to assassinate PresidentTrumpat the White House Correspondents' Dinner sent his manifesto to family and friends moments before he burst through a security checkpoint armed with a shotgun and pistol ... and it looks like he had a lot to say.
In the criminal complaint, obtained by TMZ, the feds include a large portion ofwhat they say is Cole Allen's manifesto ... and it looks like he scheduled the note to be sent right before he allegedly made his move.
The email starts off by apologizing and explaining a possible motive ... "I am a citizen of the United States of America. What my representatives do reflects on me. And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes."
The folks at the White House Correspondents' Dinner all left without injury, but thousands of lobsters weren't so lucky.
The shooting occurred while around 2,600 guests were enjoying their salads, but when the shooting erupted, everyone scattered for safety and the entrees were never served.
The menu included lobster and chateaubriand. Charlie was curious ... what happened to the delicious crustaceans?
FBI Director Kash Patel,Acting Attorney General ToddBlancheand U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro spoke Monday afternoon about the man accused of opening fire during the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and how he moved in the hours leading up to the terrifying attack Saturday night.
The officials gave an official breakdown of the timeline leading up to the black-tie event … stating Cole Allen -- a 31-year-old part-time teacher from Torrance, California -- initially made his hotel reservation on April 6, booking a three-night stay for April 24-26.
He departed Los Angeles by train last Tuesday and made a stop in Chicago on Thursday. The next day, he arrived in D.C. and checked into the Washington Hilton Friday afternoon, the officials said.
The press conference was held shortly after Allen was arraigned on three charges in D.C. federal court -- attempting to assassinate the president, transporting a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He did not enter a plea.
Karoline Leavittis widening her war with Trump critics ... arguing it's not just Jimmy Kimmel's jokes that are dangerous, but what she calls years of inflammatory rhetoric from Democrats and media figures that inspires violence against President Donald Trump.
During a fiery briefing Monday, the White House press secretary was asked about Kimmel's "expectant widow" joke about First Lady MelaniaTrump ... and whether rhetoric surrounding Trump has become normalized.
Instead of focusing solely on Kimmel, Leavitt zoomed out ... saying the entire political climate has become toxic and blaming critics who repeatedly label Trump a threat to democracy.
Tragedy in Brazil -- a construction worker helping build the stage for Shakira's upcoming show has died after being crushed over the weekend.
Event organizers say the accident happened just six days before the singer's scheduled performance at Todo Mundo no Rio ... and the state fire brigade confirmed the worker suffered severe crushing injuries to his lower limbs in a lifting system incident.
They told People the man was pulled from the equipment by coworkers before emergency crews even got there.
The concert's official IG added first responders treated him at the scene before he was rushed to hospital, where he later died.
John Hinckley -- the man who shot then-President Ronald Reagan in 1981 -- says the Washington Hilton Hotel should stop holding big events because it's not secure, and bad things keep happening there ... just like at Saturday night's White House Correspondents' Dinner.
And who knows better than Hinckley ... the Washington Hilton was the site where he shot Reagan and 3 other people in March 1981 in a failed assassination attempt. Hinckley was quickly arrested but later found not guilty by reason of insanity and placed in a mental hospital for over 34 years before gaining back his freedom.
TMZ spoke with Hinckley Sunday about security at the Washington Hilton, which has been a topic of national debate in the wake of Saturday night's WHCD shooting, with many people making comparisons to the Reagan shooting.
Kash Patel is already taking a bit of a victory lap, saying he and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will break down exactly how alleged gunman Cole Allen slipped past security at the WH Correspondents' Dinner … with more answers coming later today.
Patel went on FOX News Channel's "Fox & Friends" Monday morning promising "actual details" during a press conference later today -- including how the suspect slipped through undetected at the Washington Hilton -- noting they have a ton of details less than 36 hours after the shooting.
Blanche has said Allen checked into the hotel as a guest at least a day before the dinner.
Patel says agents have run "dozens and dozens" of interviews to piece together everything ... who the guy is, how he got in, the firearms he used, and everything in between.
Two newly surfaced photos are pulling back the curtain on the chaos outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner ... revealing the weapon authorities say accused gunman ColeAllen brought to the D.C. Hilton Saturday night ... and showing the suspect wrapped in a Mylar blanket moments before bullets started flying.
CNN obtained the photos … showing what appears to be a black tactical-style long gun laid out on a carpeted floor ... one of the weapons authorities say Allen brought with him to the hotel. Investigators claim he was also armed with a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun.
A second photo shows Allen shirtless and wrapped in an emergency-style Mylar blanket after his arrest ... officers had removed his clothes while searching him for additional weapons and checking for injuries.
President Trump got hot under the collar during his "60 Minutes" interview with Norah O'Donnellthat aired Sunday night, slamming her for bringing up Jeffrey Epstein's pedophile ways in connection with the White House Correspondents' Dinner alleged gunman, Cole Allen.
On Sunday, Trump sat down to chat with O'Donnell at the White House about Saturday night's shooting at the Washington Hilton, where the prez was gathered with the press and his cabinet for the WHCD event.
Donald Trump defends himself after ‘60 Minutes’ anchor reads manifesto of gunman from the correspondents dinner, which refers to an administration official as a pedophile and rapist. pic.twitter.com/lNe2xbIiSU@PopBase
As you know, Allen allegedly dashed through the lobby, heading toward the ballroom where the world's most powerful people were celebrating, but he got tackled along the way by federal agents.
President Trump says he didn't let the Secret Service usher him away from the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner because he wanted to see what was going on.
Trump recapped Saturday night's shooting in a sit-down interview Sunday with "60 Minutes" ... telling Norah O'Donnell he didn't make it easy on the folks trying to protect him.
POTUS praised his wife, First LadyMelania Trump, for being "strong" and "smart" in her first experience with a shooting ... she wasn't there in Butler, PA a couple years ago when there was an assassination attempt.
Cole Allen, the California teacher and video game developer suspected of opening fire at the White House Correspondents Dinner, sounds like he was a model student ... at least according to one of his old college professors.
Allen took a couple of Dr. Bin Tang's computer science courses at California State University - Dominguez Hills when he was earning his master's degree in the field ... and Tang recalled how Allen was as a student in an email to the AP.
Tang said of Allen ... "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. Soft-spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news."
The guy who went viral for casually eating a salad in the aftermath of the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner is speaking out about his sudden internet fame ... and his appetite.
Michael Glantz is the man caught on camera munching on his dinner as the ballroom goes on lockdown ... and he tells TMZ he is glad folks are finding levity from the viral clip after such a "horrific moment."
A big-time agent at Creative Artists Agency, Michael says he felt very safe -- the place was crawling with law enforcement after the shooting -- and he wanted to watch everything unfolding in front of him, telling TMZ ... "Not every day you see something like that go down."
Michael reps CNN's Wolf Blitzer, and he tells us the only thing he was concerned about was Wolf, who got knocked over in the chaos. That and making sure his salad didn't go to waste.
Cole Allen, the California teacher and video game designer who authorities allege fired gunshots at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, was pretty active on LinkedIn ... and his page gives some insight into his background.
Allen's bio describes him as a "Mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth."
He graduated from Caltech in 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering ... and when he was in college, he was a member of Caltech's Christian fellowship and the Nerf club.
The armed suspect arrested in connection with the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen, TMZ has confirmed, as new details emerged on what exactly happened.
During a press conference late Saturday night, Jeff Carroll, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department interim chief, said the perpetrator was carrying a shotgun, handgun, and several knives when he tried to charge through a security checkpoint outside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel. At the time, President Trump, his cabinet officials, and the media were all gathered inside the ballroom for the event.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday on "Meet the Press" that the suspect is beleived to have been targeting members of the Trump administration. The man allegedly squeezed off between 5 to 8 shots before he was apprehended.
Cole Allen, the California teacher & game designer who authorities allege shot up the White House Correspondents' Dinner, was featured in a news segment nearly a decade ago ... showing off a prototype he created to help make wheelchairs safer ... and the resurfaced clip is pretty interesting.
Allen was a student at Caltech in 2017 when he was interviewed by ABC7 in Los Angeles at an "Aging into the Future" conference.
In the resurfaced clip, Allen talks about developing a prototype for a wheelchair emergency brake.
He explains his invention ... "The wheelchair brakes tend to lock the wheels, but don't actually lock the chair to the ground ... the idea with this is to prevent it from moving at all."
New details are surfacing about the suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting scare, including reports of an alleged manifesto and concerning statements made prior to the incident.
In an interview with Fox News, President Donald Trump addressed the reported manifesto Cole Allen created -- the 31-year-old man who has been identified as the suspect in the shooting that took place Saturday night -- saying based on Allen's writings, he "hates Christians" and calls him a "troubled guy."
The White House confirms to TMZ ... according to information provided to law enforcement and outlined in interviews with family members, the suspect’s brother alerted New London Police in Connecticut after allegedly receiving a manifesto from Allen minutes before the incident.
Authorities say the document prompted immediate concern and was turned over to investigators.