The man arrested in the shooting at a Washington media dinner is a computer engineer and tutor from California who opposed to the policies of President Donald Trump.
A photo of Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, posted to social media last year shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills. His face appears to match the appearance of the alleged attacker taken into custody at the dinner Saturday night in Washington that was attended by Trump and top members of his administration.
In writings sent to family members minutes before the attack, the 31-year-old described himself as "Friendly Federal Assassin" and railed against recent actions taken by the U.S. government under Trump, though he did not name the Republican president directly, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
A search of state and federal court databases showed no indication Allen had ever previously been charged with a crime.
Voter registration records from California lists Allen's home address as his parent's house on a tree-lined street in one of the most historic neighborhoods in Torrance, a city within the Los Angeles metro area. Public records show he is the oldest of four adult siblings, with two younger sisters and a brother.
