Suspect in U.S. Shooting Drafted Manifesto: "Targeting Top Administration Officials"

Suspect Cole Thomas Allen, who was arrested on charges of shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner event on the 25th (local time). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

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The suspect in the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner was found to have sent a statement to his family and relatives, detailing his motives and intended targets.

According to reports from the New York Times (NYT) and others on April 26 (local time), the suspect, Cole Thomas Allen, sent messages to his relatives immediately before the crime, criticizing the policies of the U.S. Trump administration and hinting at violent acts. The NYT, citing sources familiar with the investigation, reported that documents found in his hotel room contained similar content.

In the statement obtained and reported by the New York Post, Allen explained his motive by saying, "I will no longer allow a pedophile, a rapist, or a traitor to dirty my hands with his crimes," and "To be honest, my heart left this long ago, but now I finally have the opportunity to act accordingly."

Allen also specified his targets. He stated, "Administration officials (except for FBI Director Kashyap Patel) are targets, in order from the highest to the lowest ranks. Secret Service agents should only be targeted if necessary, and, if possible, should be subdued in a non-lethal manner."

The New York Post interpreted that although Trump was not explicitly mentioned in the statement, the references clearly indicated an assassination plan targeting President Trump.

Allen identified himself as a Christian and attempted to justify his assassination plan. He said, "Turning the other cheek only applies when you are the one being oppressed. Turning the other cheek when someone else is being oppressed is not a Christian act. That is to be complicit in the oppressor's crime."

He further stated, "The United States is a nation governed by law, not by any single individual or a small group of people. If representatives and judges do not follow the law, no one is obligated to obey any order they give that is unlawful," thus attempting to justify his actions.

Meanwhile, President Trump told the media that the suspect had an anti-Christian tendency. In an interview with Fox News that day, he said, "If you read his manifesto, it is clear that he hates Christians. He was vehemently anti-Christian."

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