The arrest

Who is the bomber, a Caltech graduate teacher. Why did he try to shoot Trump?

The police identified him as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, a teacher and video game developer. The reasons that drove him to such an extreme gesture remain unclear

by Luca Veronese

26 April 2026

Cole Tomas Allen, fermato a terra dalla polizia, in un’immagine postata sui social da Donald Trump via REUTERS

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The suspect arrested for the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner was identified by a law enforcement official as Cole Tomas Allen, a man living in the Los Angeles area.

According to initial checks, the bomber appears to be a graduate of Caltech, the prestigious California Institute of Technology, who works part-time as a teacher and video game developer. The security official said that Allen, who is about 31 years old, resides in Torrance, California, a coastal city that is part of the South Bay area near Los Angeles, overlooking the Santa Monica Bay.

The head of the District of Columbia police department said that, according to investigators' reconstructions, the suspect was a guest at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the annual dinner was taking place, but that no motive had yet been established.

But beyond a $25 donation to the campaign for Democrat Kamala Harris, Tomas Allen does not seem to have shown any signs of imbalance or evidence of political extremism in the past. Therefore, it is unclear what motives drove him to such a bold gesture.

"The man has been caught. They are on their way to his flat. I think he lives in California, and he's a sick person, a very sick person, and we don't want things like that to happen," Trump said, speaking of the suspect arrested after the attack in Washington. "A man stormed a security checkpoint, armed with several weapons, and was neutralised by some brave members of the Secret Service," the president added.

Usa, spari alla cena con la stampa. Trump: "Attentatore aveva diverse armi"

Some Facebook posts, apparently related to Cole, show that he was named "Teacher of the Month" in December 2024 by the Torrance office of C2 Education, a national private test preparation and tutoring service for students planning to apply to college. A LinkedIn profile under the suspect's name describes him as a "mechanical and computer engineer by training, independent game developer by experience, teacher by vocation."

According to the profile, he earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 and a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2025. Caltech said in a statement that a person with that name graduated in 2017.

Spari alla cena dei giornalisti con Trump: il panico in sala, qualcuno grida: "God bless America"

Under 'Work experience', the profile indicates that in recent years he has worked as a part-time teacher for C2 Education and as a freelance game developer. Previously, for a year, he worked as a mechanical engineer at a company called IJK Controls in South Pasadena, before becoming a teaching assistant at Caltech.

The profile also includes a local newspaper article 'about a robotics competition won by my team' at Caltech in 2016. Under 'Business', only: 'Science and Technology' is listed.

The Secret Service stated that the suspect was armed with a rifle and was arrested after he opened fire at a security officer inside the Washington Hilton hotel, outside the ballroom where the event attended by President Donald Trump, his wife Melania, Vice President JD Vance and several cabinet members was being held.

Luca Veronesegiornalista
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Luogo: Milano
Lingue parlate: inglese, spagnolo
Argomenti: economia internazionale, politica internazionale
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