Brother Of Accused Correspondents' Dinner Shooter Called New London Police

NEW LONDON, CT — The brother of the shooter who brought guns and knives to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday contacted New London police after receiving writings signaling the attack, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation who spoke to the Associated Press.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, sent writings to family members minutes before the shooting referring to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin,” railing against Trump administration policies and signaling what investigators increasingly believe was a politically driven attack, according to the official. Allen’s brother contacted police in New London after receiving the writings, the official said.

The New London Police Department was contacted at 10:49 p.m. by a person “who expressed concern about the incident that occurred at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner earlier in the evening,” according to the local agency.

“Immediately upon reviewing the information received, the New London Police Department contacted federal law enforcement partners,” the department said in a news release. “The individual was subsequently interviewed by both the New London Police Department and federal law enforcement.”

The writings, sent shortly before shots were fired at the Washington Hilton, made repeated references to President Donald Trump without naming him directly and alluded to grievances over a range of administration actions and recent events, including U.S. strikes on drug smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific, the official said.

Writings examined by the Associated Press ran more than a thousand words and read as a rambling, deeply personal message, opening almost jarringly with a casual “hello everybody!” before shifting into apologies to family members and co-workers, and even strangers he feared could be caught in the violence. The note moved between confession, grievance and farewell, with Allen thanking people in his life even as he sought to explain the attack.

Elsewhere, he veered between political anger, religious justifications and rebuttals to imagined critics. He also made a taunting critique of security at the Washington Hilton, mocking what he described as lax precautions and expressing surprise he was able to enter the hotel armed without detection.

READ MORE: New Details On Man Accused Of Attacking White House Correspondents' Dinner

Authorities also uncovered what the official described as numerous anti-Trump social media posts linked to the man accused of trying to breach a security checkpoint at the dinner while armed with multiple weapons.

Federal agents have also interviewed Allen’s sister in Maryland, who told investigators her brother had legally purchased several weapons from a California gun store and stored them at their parents’ home in Torrance without their knowledge, according to the official.

She described her brother as prone to making radical statements, the official said.

Allen legally bought a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol in October 2023 and a 12-gauge shotgun two years later, the official and another law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

No one was killed in the attack, but one officer was shot, Trump has said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.