'We live in a crazy world': Donald Trump says after gunman opened fire and tried to storm ballroom - as suspect's 'anti-Trump manifesto' revealed
Speaking after suspect Cole Tomas Allen, 31, opened fire while attempting to storm the ballroom at the Washington Hilton, Mr Trump said: “I wasn’t worried, I understand life. We live in a crazy world.”Describing how he was told to drop to the floor for his own safety, Trump said: “I was walking out… about halfway there, and they said, ‘Please go down to the floor. Please go down to the floor.’ So I dropped to the floor. So did the First Lady.” “My thought was I’ve been through this a couple of times.” "I don’t know… I read a manifesto… he was a christian believer, and then he became an anti-christian, he had a lot of change, he’s been going through a lot. “He was probably a pretty sick guy.”Allen was arrested after police said he opened fire at a security checkpoint during the event.He is due in court today.The FBI's criminal investigation and terrorism task-force are investigating the incident.The US Attorney General Todd Blanche said it was likely Allen was trying to target senior White House officials.Trump was at the event on Saturday along with Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of Health Robert F Kennedy Jr, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and top aide Stephen Miller.The suspected gunman is said to have branded himself a ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ in a lengthy manifesto sent to family members.The document was reportedly sent by the suspect to family around 10 minutes before he carried out the attack and has been described as an 'anti-Trump manifesto'.Disturbing details have since emerged after investigators obtained the document, allegedly penned by Cole in his hotel room, after Trump claimed that it contained 'anti-Christian' rhetoric.Allen, an engineer and tutor, had checked himself in as a guest at the Washington Hilton prior to the White House Correspondents Dinner after travelling across the country from California.The incident saw a gunman, identified by US authorities as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, attempt to storm the ballroom at the Washington hotel armed with guns and knives.Read more: King's US State Visit 'to proceed as planned', Buckingham Palace confirms following Trump 'assassination attempt'Read more: Who was the gunman at the Trump dinner? Everything we know so far about the 'would-be assassin'Officials, including acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, insisted that Allen intended to target Trump and members of his administration who were gathered at the hotel alongside members of the media.One secret service officer was injured after a firearm was discharged, hitting body armour. The individual was taken to hospital but has since been discharged.As reported by the New York Post citing a US official, the 1,052 word document described how his actions will have given 'a lot of people a surprise'.
Despite being armed with 3 weapons, Allen claimed in the manifesto that he wanted to 'minimise casualties'The document detailed how he would spare FBI director Kash Patel, adding: "I apologise to everyone....who suffered before I was able to attempt this, to all who may still suffer after, regardless of my success or failure."Details of the manifesto, which was handed to law enforcement by a relative, was revealed after Allen's brother flagged the document with New London law enforcement located in Connecticut.Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, President Trump described the would-be assassin as a “sick guy when you read his manifesto.”It also comes as Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles' and Queen Camilla's US state visit would 'proceed as planned' following another alleged 'targeted' attempt on Trump's life.
The document detailed how the teacher planned to carry out the attack and the reasons behind it, with one extract reading: "Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed.""I'm not the person raped in a detention camp. I'm not the fisherman executed without trial. I'm not the schoolkid blown up, or a child starved, or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration. He went on to insist that "turning the other cheek" when others are oppressed does not constitute "Christian behaviour"."it is complicity in the oppressor's crimes," he writes.
Writing of his attempt to "minimise casualties", the suspect detailed his choice of ammunition in a bid to prevent it penetrating walls and injuring innocent bystanders.Allen described his targets as being "administration officials (not including [FBI Director Kash] Patel): they are targets, prioritised from highest-ranking to lowest.""I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls)", he wrote, adding that they "would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary".Allen goes on to reference the US President without naming him directly, before eventually signing off the the letter "Cole 'coldForce' 'Friendly Federal Assassin' Allen".
He adds that he does not "expect forgiveness" for his actions, before hitting out at the hotel's security.Security concerns surrounding King Charles and Queen Camilla's upcoming four-day State Visit remain high in the wake of Saturday night's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington DC.In a statement released on Sunday, Buckingham Palace confirmed the planned visit would take place with "adjustments" following last night's developments.Buckingham Palace confirmed the decision follows "discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day".
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