The suspect in the WHCD attack faces arraignment in Washington

Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the gun attack during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington Sunday, appeared Monday in federal court in the U.S. capital to answer a series of charges including two counts of using a firearm and one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.

Investigators are still working on the motives that led Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, an hour and a half south of Los Angeles, to do what he did and what he hoped to achieve, had he managed to enter the ballroom of the Washington Hilton basement, where some 2,500 people were gathered. President Trump argues that he was motivated by anti-Christian hatred.

The young engineering graduate, who worked multiple jobs as a game developer, shares some parallels with John Hinckley, the man who, 45 years and one month ago, attempted to assassinate then-President Ronald Reagan at the entrance of the Hilton Hotel, where the president had just given a speech and which was considered a relatively safe place due to its protected access.

Like Hinckley, who was 26 on March 30, 1981, Allen is relatively young, hails from California, and appears to have been a “lone wolf.” Both traveled by land from their home states to the nation’s capital. The known similarities end there. The perpetrator of the Reagan assassination attempt was motivated by a desire to attract the attention of actress Jodie Foster. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a mental health facility until 2022.

Allen was hospitalized on Sunday, under police custody, for a mental health evaluation before his arraignment on Monday. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche considered credible the theory that the teacher, who specialized in educating exceptional students, whether gifted or struggling, intended to assassinate the U.S. president.

According to details that emerged throughout Sunday, Allen wrote a manifesto against Trump, which he partially sent to some family members shortly before Saturday night’s attack. In it, he warned them that he was planning an attack against officials in the Republican administration. Indeed, the opportunity seemed ideal: the entire government was present in that room, beginning with the president and his vice president, J.D. Vance, and including Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and more.

Trump himself, in statements to the media, revealed the contents of Allen’s writings and gave them his particular spin, claiming it was a “strongly anti-Christian” bias that motivated Allen.

According to his social media profiles, Allen studied at the prestigious Caltech in Pasadena, north of Los Angeles, where he graduated with a degree in engineering in 2017. He also received a master’s degree in computer science, which he had just completed last year.

To get to Washington, Allen used public transportation, trains, and buses, traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago and then on to DC. When he sprinted toward the metal detectors at the checkpoint leading to the designated party area, Allen was carrying a shotgun, a handgun and a knife. According to CBS News, investigators who interviewed members of the suspect’s family said the teacher had a license to carry two firearms and frequently went to shooting ranges.

With a series of long strides, Allen managed to get past the security checkpoint. But he didn’t get much further. A few feet away, he was intercepted and subdued by the officers; images of him lying face down on the ground, shirtless and handcuffed, have gone viral.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition