Who is Cole Allen? The other side of the person who attempted to assassinate Trump

Title: Assassin Wasn’t on FBI’s Radar, Sources Say

Author: Ken Klippenstein

Compiled by: Peggy, BlockBeats

Editor’s note: On April 25, 2026, a shooting attempt occurred at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. After the incident, the suspect Cole Allen was quickly simplified as an “extremist.” But as his pre-attack “manifesto” and personal background were gradually revealed, this image began to become more complex.

Who exactly is he? This article attempts to restore a more authentic individual through his resume and interviews with classmates. Allen is not a traditional fringe figure but an engineer with a Caltech background, holding a stable job, religious beliefs, and a relatively complete value system. This contradicts the official emphasis on the “anti-Christian extremist” narrative—on the contrary, he repeatedly cites the Bible in his manifesto, trying to establish some form of “legitimacy” for his actions from the perspectives of faith and law.

The author further points out that such individuals are not isolated cases but share a common judgment: that the political system has failed, and therefore “someone must act.” Under this logic, violence is no longer seen as abnormal but is understood by some as a moral duty.

As the government and media continuously reinforce certain security narratives (such as “anti-Christian threats”), perhaps a more pertinent question is: why are more and more seemingly normal people turning to political violence?

Below is the original text:

Cole Tomas Allen

Sources, including a senior FBI official, confirmed to me that Cole Allen has never entered the FBI’s extensive domestic counterterrorism surveillance system. The 31-year-old suspect attempted to breach the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, but prior to that, he appeared to be just an ordinary person—until everything suddenly spiraled out of control.

Reports indicate that Allen himself was shocked by the “ridiculous” security lapses at the Washington Hilton Hotel. This hotel has hosted the dinner for decades (and was also the site of the 1981 assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan). On-site footage shows that after guests were seated, Secret Service agents and Washington Metropolitan Police officers were still chatting and joking, and Allen simply ran past them.

Now, rumors about Allen are spreading—some say he is an anti-Christian extremist, possibly aided by a group of left-wing accomplices. Acting Deputy Attorney General Todd Branch stated that the FBI is investigating whether he acted alone. But the question remains: who exactly is he? And what does he represent?

The answer comes from a copy of his resume and interviews with acquaintances.

What’s unsettling is precisely its “ordinary” nature.

Looking at his background, Cole Allen followed a typical STEM path. He graduated from Caltech with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, interned early on at a biotech startup involved in 3D printing medical device shells and related fixtures.

In his work, he served as a mechanical engineer at South California engineering firm IJK Controls, mainly designing precision mechanical systems (like gimbal structures), optical platform analysis, and also participating in software development, including Android interface optimization and web development based on laser communication systems. Additionally, he developed games independently, from the physics engine to graphics and music, all by himself. Overall, his background spans engineering and software, with well-rounded technical skills.

Allen graduated in 2017 from Caltech, a prestigious school in Pasadena that has produced 24 Nobel laureates and nurtured NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). He majored in Mechanical Engineering and, after graduation, joined a small engineering firm, IJK Controls LLC, in Southern California, working on precision hardware for stabilizing cameras and sensors on motion platforms—widely used in drones, satellites, and military targeting systems. He also contributed to software that transmits data between devices using laser rather than radio waves.

Before Caltech, he interned at a biotech startup, designing 3D-printed shells for medical devices and making specialized fixtures for electrode fixation during manufacturing.

He also developed video games from scratch—not by modifying existing ones but building from the ground up. His most notable work, “Bohrdom,” was entirely his own creation: including the physics engine controlling object movement and collisions, 750 original graphics, and original music composed by him.

His classmates say that such technical prowess is not uncommon at Caltech. There is a tradition called “Ditch Day Stack,” where upperclassmen design complex puzzle games for underclassmen, and Allen was deeply involved. “You could tell he was proud of it,” said a former classmate.

Classmates describe Allen as diligent, devout, and polite. “He was quite active in the Caltech Christian Fellowship,” one acquaintance and former classmate told me. “Very devout, very gentle.” “If I hadn’t seen him being pinned to the ground, face down—I wouldn’t believe it was him,” he said, referring to the photo released after police subdued Allen.

These details, especially his religious beliefs, starkly contrast with the description of the attack by President Trump.

Note: This segment emphasizes that he is not an anti-Christian (as media and Trump portray him), but rather uses Christianity to morally justify violence, challenging the simple narrative that “he is an extremist.”

“When you read his manifesto, he hates Christians,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News. “He hates Christians—it’s a hatred.” Subsequently, multiple mainstream media outlets cited anonymous “government officials” to reinforce this judgment.

Note: The shooting occurred during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, 2026. About ten minutes before the attack, Cole Allen sent a “manifesto” to his family.

But the manifesto itself is not so. In fact, what might have angered Allen is perhaps Trump portraying himself as Jesus Christ (for example, the AI-generated image of Trump in a robe healing the sick). Moreover, a suspected copy of the manifesto leaked by the New York Post shows Allen heavily quoting Christian theology, analyzing the Gospels paragraph by paragraph—more like someone who has truly studied the Bible.

In a section titled “Response to Opposing Views,” he first addresses the “turn the other cheek” doctrine—found in Matthew 5:38–39 (the Sermon on the Mount), where Jesus advises believers not to retaliate when harmed.

Allen reinterprets it as: when the victim is someone else, this principle does not apply:

Opposing view 1: As a Christian, when others hurt you, you should not retaliate but choose patience and forgiveness, turning the other cheek.

Response: “Turning the other cheek” applies when you are oppressed. I am not the one being raped in detention, not the fisherman executed without trial, not the student killed by bombs, the starving child, or the girl abused by many criminals in this government.

When others are oppressed, choosing to “turn the other cheek” is not Christian but collusion with oppressors’ crimes.

He also discusses the classic phrase “Render unto Caesar”—from Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17, and Luke 20:25. When asked whether to pay taxes to Rome, Jesus responded that what belongs to Caesar should be given to Caesar, and what belongs to God should be given to God. This verse has long been used to argue for obedience to political authority.

Note: “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s” signifies that obedience to secular authority (government) is appropriate, but what belongs to faith should be given to God.

Allen raises a constitutionalist objection:

Opposing view 5: Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.

Response: The United States is governed by law, not by one or a few individuals. As long as elected representatives and judges do not follow the law, no one is obliged to obey their illegal orders.

The third religious reference in his manifesto is a brief thank-you note: “Thanks to my family, both personally and within the church, for the love they have given me over these 31 years.”

Reports indicate that Allen’s account on the social platform Bluesky also frequently mentions Christianity, including self-identifying as a “Protestant” earlier this month, and repeatedly comparing Trump to the “Antichrist.”

On April 13, in response to an AI-generated image of Trump as Jesus, Allen quoted a verse from Revelation about the Antichrist, which now seems prophetic: “All who worship the beast and its image, and all who bear its mark, will have no rest day or night.”

Perhaps most ironic is a story told by his former classmate.

Allen once served as president of Caltech’s Nerf (foam dart gun) club, taking the role quite seriously. He opposed militarizing toy guns within the club—such as modifying them for more power or painting them to look more like real weapons. He worked closely with campus security and, according to classmates, demonstrated mature conflict resolution skills, leaving a deep impression.

In other words, the person who once tried to keep toy guns from looking too real is now accused (per NBC) of carrying a sawed-off shotgun and multiple handguns, driving across several states, attempting to assassinate the president. “That’s really shocking,” said another acquaintance. “From the limited interactions I had with him, he’s very smart.”

So, what exactly happened?

From Luigi Mangiacavallo to Cole Allen, these shooters are not the antisocial loners the media often depicts. They are intelligent, well-liked, often harboring some form of idealism; they have no criminal record; and reportedly, they even try to avoid harming innocents—Allen was said to be such. But they share a core belief: that the political system has utterly failed, and someone must act.

“I don’t see anyone else filling this void,” Allen wrote in his manifesto.

Although Trump’s claim that Allen “hates Christianity” is inaccurate, this statement aligns with the logic in his National Security Presidential Memorandum NSPM-7— which lists “anti-Christianity” as an indicator of domestic terrorism. This narrative is likely to dominate, regardless of facts, with the FBI and intelligence agencies being tasked to investigate so-called “anti-Christian threats.” Law enforcement will also seek more budgets for security checks and surveillance, which are likely to be approved.

The real question is: will anyone ask why more and more seemingly “ordinary” people feel that the political system ignores their concerns so completely that they resort to violence?