A single tweet, with no context and no follow-up, has resurfaced in connection with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner incident.
Cole Tomas Allen was arrested on Saturday night after bullets were fired inside the Washington Hilton hotel, where the dinner was being held.
Preliminary findings suggested he was targeting administration officials, “likely” including US President Donald Trump, officials said.
Highlights
- Cole Tomas Allen was arrested in connection with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner incident.
- He mocked the security at the Washington Hilton hotel, where he checked in before the dinner.
- Netizens dug up a mysterious tweet from 2023 that mentioned the suspect's name.
- “This is a rabbit hole I didn’t expect tonight,” one commented on the tweet.
A single tweet, with no context and no follow-up, has resurfaced after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner incident
Image credits: Nathan Howard/Getty Images
It is believed Cole traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then to Washington DC, where he checked in at the same hotel hosting the correspondents' dinner.
Investigators also suspected that he assembled his weapon in the hotel but “didn't get very far” after storming through the lobby.
“He barely broke the perimeter," acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters on Sunday.
The suspect was detained while Trump and other top leaders were evacuated.
Image credits: realDonaldTrump
As investigators tried to piece together Cole’s backstory and motive, social media users began Sherlocking around and dug up a mysterious 2023 tweet.
“Cole Allen,” read the tweet, shared from an account linked to Henry Martinez.
No other tweets remained on the X timeline of the mysterious user.
Netizens dug up a mysterious tweet from 2023 that mentioned the suspect's name
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Some reports claimed that Cole reportedly had an internship at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. And at around the same time, a 2014 NASA technical publication was attributed to an author with the name, Henry Martinez.
Authorities made no suggestion that any of these details were connected to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner incident.
But the intrigue surrounding the tweet continued, with some calling it “super sus.”
Image credits: HenryMa79561893
Image credits: Slatzism
The tweet went viral following the incident and currently has 47K likes and 7.1K comments.
“Henry, the FBI would like to speak to you,” read one response to the tweet, while another asked, “How did you know, Henry?”
“Your only tweet. What in the world….” one said.
“This is a rabbit hole I didn't expect tonight,” quipped another.
“I’m genuinely getting the feeling that this is some CIA operation or a time traveler,” one commented online
Image credits: Cole Allen
Image credits: Cole Allen
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One chimed in saying, “So are we gonna act like this is normal….orrrr is everyone else shook as well?”
Another offered some reasoning, saying, “Crazy thought, there may be more than one Cole Allen.”
“There is something to investigate here, either we are talking about a well-premeditated event or time travellers?” wrote another.
Image credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Allen’s LinkedIn page described him as a mechanical engineer, game developer, and teacher.
He reportedly studied mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and graduated with a master's in computer science in 2025 from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
He was named Teacher of the Month in December, 2024, by C2 Education, which reportedly offers tutoring and guidance to students for test preparation.
The suspect was “strongly anti-Christian” and “had a lot of hatred in his heart for a while,” the president said
Trump spoke to Fox News on Sunday and claimed the suspect was “strongly anti-Christian” and “had a lot of hatred in his heart for a while.”
The suspect allegedly sent a manifesto to family members about 10 minutes before opening fire.
Calling himself the “Friendly Federal Assassin,” he said, “I am no longer willing to permit a ped*phile, rap*st, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.”
Image credits: realDonaldTrump
Cole claimed he was willing to fire and end the lives of everyone in the room “if it meant getting to his targets.”
He mocked the “insane” lack of security at the Washington Hilton after arriving with multiple knives and firearms.
“The one thing that I immediately noticed walking into the hotel is the sense of arrogance,” he wrote. “I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat.”
Cole mocked the hotel's security in his manifesto, which he sent to family members about 10 minutes before storming the lobby
Image credits: 11Alive
The suspect claimed the security personnel at the venue were all outside and focusing on “protestors and current arrivals.”
“No one thought about what happens if someone checks in the day before,” he claimed, describing this “level of incompetence” as “insane.”
“It really feels like we live in a simulation,” one commented online, while another said, “time travel is real”
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