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Original Title: Assassin Wasn't on FBI's Radar, Sources Say
Original Author: Ken Klippenstein
Translation by: Peggy, BlockBeats
Editor's Note: On April 25, 2026, a shooting incident was thwarted at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Following the event, the suspect Cole Allen was quickly labeled an "extremist." However, as his pre-action "manifesto" and personal background were gradually revealed, this portrayal became more complex.
Who is he really? This article attempts to reconstruct a more authentic individual through his resume and interviews with classmates. Allen is not the traditional marginal figure; he is an engineer with a Caltech background, a stable career, religious faith, and a relatively complete value system. This contradicts the official narrative of an "anti-Christian extremist." On the contrary, his manifesto repeatedly cites the Bible, attempting to establish a certain "legitimacy" for his actions from the perspective of faith and law.
The author further points out that such individuals are not isolated cases but share a common judgment: the political system has failed, therefore "someone must act." Under this logic, violence is no longer seen as abnormal but is understood by some as a moral responsibility.
When the government and media continuously reinforce a certain security narrative (such as the "anti-Christian threat"), perhaps the more pressing question is: Why are seemingly normal people increasingly turning to political violence?
Below is the original text:
Cole Tomas Allen
Cole Allen was never on the FBI's vast domestic counterterrorism radar, confirmed by multiple sources including a senior FBI official. Before the 31-year-old suspect attempted to breach the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, he seemed just like an ordinary person – until everything suddenly spiraled out of control.
Reportedly, Allen himself was shocked by the "outrageous" security gaps at the Washington Hilton Hotel, which has hosted the dinner for decades (also the site of the 1981 assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan). On-site video shows Secret Service agents and Washington Metropolitan Police Department security personnel chatting and joking after guests were seated, as Allen simply ran past them.
Now, rumors about Allen are spreading, with some labeling him an anti-Christian extremist who may have been aided by a group of leftist accomplices. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated the FBI is investigating whether he acted alone. But the question remains: Who is he, and what does he represent?
The answer comes from a copy of his resume I obtained and interviews with his acquaintances.
The unsettling part is precisely its "ordinariness."
From his resume, Cole Allen follows a typical STEM path. He graduated from Caltech with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, interned early at a biomedical startup, participating in the 3D printing design of medical device casings and related fixture development.
Professionally, he worked as a mechanical engineer at the Southern California engineering firm IJK Controls, primarily designing precision mechanical systems (like gimbal structures) and analyzing optical platforms, while also participating in software development, including Android UI optimization and web development for a laser communication system. Additionally, he independently developed games for a long time, completing everything from the underlying physics engine to graphics and soundtracks. Overall, his background spans engineering and software, with comprehensive technical skills.
Allen graduated from Caltech in 2017. This prestigious engineering school in Pasadena has produced 24 Nobel laureates and birthed NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). He majored in Mechanical Engineering and after graduation worked at IJK Controls LLC, a small engineering firm in Southern California, developing precision hardware used to stabilize cameras and sensors on moving platforms, widely applied in drones, satellites, and military targeting systems. He also worked on software utilizing lasers instead of radio waves for data transmission between devices.
Before Caltech, he interned at a biomedical startup, designing 3D-printed casings for medical devices and creating specialized jigs and fixtures for holding electrodes during production.
He also developed video games – not modifying existing ones, but building them from scratch. His most representative work, *Bohrdom*, was entirely completed by him: including the underlying physics system controlling object movement and collision, 750 original graphics, and a soundtrack he personally composed.
His classmates say this is not uncommon at Caltech, known for its technical prowess. There's a tradition called "Ditch Day Stack," where seniors design complex puzzle games for underclassmen, and Allen was deeply involved. "You could tell he was proud of it," one former classmate said.
In the memories of his classmates, Allen was diligent, devout, and polite. "He was pretty active in the Christian fellowship at Caltech," an acquaintance and former classmate told me. "Very devout, very mild-mannered." "If I hadn't seen the photo of him being pinned down, face to the ground, I wouldn't have believed it was him," he said, referring to the image of Allen being subdued by police.
These details, especially his religious faith, starkly contradict President Trump's description of the attack.
Note: This section indicates he did not hate Christianity (as media and Trump defined him), but used Christianity to morally justify violence, thus challenging the simplistic "extremist" narrative.
"When you read his manifesto, he hates Christians," Trump told Fox News. "He hates Christians, a hatred." Subsequently, multiple mainstream media outlets, citing anonymous "internal government officials," repeatedly reinforced this assessment.
Note: The assassination attempt occurred on April 25, 2026, during the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Suspect Cole Allen sent a "manifesto" to his family approximately 10 minutes before carrying out the action.
But the manifesto itself shows otherwise. If anything likely angered Allen, it might have been Trump portraying himself as Jesus Christ (such as the AI-generated image of Trump in a robe healing the sick). Furthermore, a purported copy of the manifesto disclosed by the *New York Post* shows Allen extensively citing Christian theology to defend the shooting, parsing the Gospels section by section in a manner suggesting genuine study of the Bible.
In a section titled "Responses to Objections," he first addresses the "turn the other cheek" doctrine – from Matthew 5:38-39 (the Sermon on the Mount), where Jesus advises believers not to retaliate against personal harm.
Allen reinterpreted this as: the principle does not apply when others are the victims:
Objection 1: As Christians, when someone hurts you, you should not retaliate but choose forbearance and forgiveness, letting them "turn the other cheek."
Response: "Turn the other cheek" applies when you yourself are being oppressed. I am not the one being raped in a detention camp, I am not the fisherman executed without trial, I am not the student bombed, the child starved, or the teenage girl abused by the numerous criminals in this government.
Choosing to "turn the other cheek" when others are oppressed is not Christian conduct, but complicity in the oppressor's sins.
He then discusses the classic phrase "Render unto Caesar" – from Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17, and Luke 20:25. When asked about paying taxes to Rome, Jesus replied to give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. This passage has long been used to argue for submission to political authority.
Note: "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" means obeying secular power (government) where due, and giving to God what belongs to faith.
Allen objected from a constitutional perspective:
Objection 5: Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's.
Response: The United States of America is governed by law, not by any one person or a few. As long as elected representatives and judges do not follow the law, no one is obligated to obey their illegal commands.
In the manifesto, the third religious reference is a brief acknowledgment: "Thank you to my family, both biological and my church family, for the love they have shown me over these 31 years."
Reportedly, Allen's BlueSky account also frequently mentioned Christianity, including identifying himself as a "Protestant" earlier this month, and repeatedly comparing Trump to the "Antichrist."
On April 13, responding to the image of "Trump playing Jesus," Allen quoted a passage from Revelation regarding the Antichrist, now seeming prophetic: "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God's fury..." (paraphrased as "they have no rest day or night").
Perhaps the most ironic detail comes from a story told by his former classmate.
Allen once served as president of Caltech's Nerf (foam dart gun) club and took the role quite seriously. He opposed a tendency within the club to "militarize" the toy guns – modifying them for higher power or painting them to look more like real weapons. He worked closely with campus security and, according to his classmate, demonstrated impressively mature skills in de-escalating conflicts.
In other words, the same person who once tried to make toy guns look less like real ones is now accused (per NBC News) of carrying a sawed-off shotgun and multiple handguns, driving across several states, and attempting to assassinate the president. "It's truly shocking," said another person who knew him. "From my limited interactions with him, he was incredibly intelligent."
So, what happened?
From Luigi Mangione to Cole Allen, these shooters are not the antisocial loners imagined by the media. They are intelligent, well-liked, often idealistic; have no criminal record; and even deliberately avoid harming innocents – reportedly including Allen. But they share one belief: the political system has completely failed, and someone must act.
"I don't see anyone else filling this gap," Allen wrote in his manifesto.
Although Trump's claim that Allen "hates Christians" is inaccurate, this framing aligns with the logic of his National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-7), which designates "anti-Christian" bias as an indicator of domestic terrorism. This narrative will likely dominate. Regardless of the facts, the FBI and intelligence agencies will be directed to investigate the so-called "anti-Christian threat." Law enforcement will use this as justification to request more funding for security checks and surveillance, funds that will likely be approved.
The real question remains: Will anyone still ask why more seemingly "ordinary" people feel the political system is unresponsive to their concerns, ultimately driving them to violence?
