The April 27 assessment by the Department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis found that the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, held “multiple social and political grievances” and said the US-Israeli war with Iran “may have contributed to his decision to conduct the attack.”

The findings relate to the April 25 incident targeting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where Allen is accused of attempting to attack Trump and senior officials. While officials have not reached a definitive conclusion on motive, the report offers the clearest indication to date that the ongoing conflict in Iran could have been a contributing factor.

The document, classified as a “Critical Incident Note,” was obtained through public records requests by the nonprofit Property of the People and reviewed by Reuters.US prosecutors have filed multiple charges against Allen, including attempted assassination, discharging a firearm during a violent crime, illegal transportation of weapons across state lines, and assault on a federal officer.

Authorities allege he fired at a US Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint. Allen has not yet entered a plea.Investigators have focused heavily on Allen’s online activity, with the FBI reviewing social media posts and digital communications linked to the suspect.

According to court filings, Allen expressed political opposition to Trump and sought to “fight back” against government policies he viewed as objectionable.An email sent by Allen to relatives on the night of the attack, described by officials as a manifesto, conveyed anger toward the administration and referenced targeting a “traitor” delivering a speech, though it did not name Trump directly.

Law enforcement officials said posts tied to accounts linked to Allen included criticism of US actions in Iran, as well as broader grievances related to immigration enforcement, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and prominent public figures.Authorities said the examination of Allen’s digital footprint is ongoing and is intended in part to establish motive and counter misinformation surrounding the case, following previous incidents that fueled conspiracy theories about politically motivated violence.

Spokespersons for the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while the FBI declined to comment on the investigation.

The footage, released by U.S. Attorney for Washington Jeanine Pirro, appears to show suspect Cole Tomas Allen running through a magnetometer checkpoint at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night carrying a long gun before pointing the weapon at a Secret Service agent, who then fired back multiple times.

Authorities said Allen, 31, was injured during the confrontation but was not struck by gunfire. The incident disrupted one of Washington’s highest-profile annual gatherings, attended by journalists, senior administration officials and President Trump.

Prosecutors had earlier stated that a Secret Service officer was struck in the chest by gunfire but protected by a bullet-resistant vest. Questions had emerged over whether the injury resulted from Allen’s weapon or possible friendly fire during the chaos.Pirro said Thursday there was no evidence the officer had been hit by friendly fire.

The video appears to show Allen’s weapon raised toward the officer before the agent discharged his firearm five times. It remains unclear from the footage at what precise moment Allen’s weapon was fired.Allen appeared briefly in federal court on Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya, where he agreed to remain in custody pending trial. He did not enter a plea.

He was formally charged on Monday with attempted assassination of the president, along with two additional firearms offenses, including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence. He faces up to life in prison if convicted on the attempted assassination charge alone.

Court filings from prosecutors said Allen had taken a photograph of himself in his hotel room minutes before the attack while carrying an ammunition bag, a shoulder holster and a sheathed knife.

Authorities also cited messages they say indicate motive, including one in which Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and expressed grievances related to multiple Trump administration policies. Prosecutors said the evidence pointed to a deliberate attempt to reach the ballroom where Trump was speaking.

Defense lawyers challenged that interpretation, arguing in court papers that the government’s case relies heavily on assumptions about intent and noting that Allen’s writings did not explicitly mention Trump by name.“The government’s evidence of the charged offense the attempted assassination of the president is thus built entirely upon speculation,” defense attorneys wrote.

The nearly six-minute surveillance compilation released by prosecutors includes footage from the day before the attack showing Allen walking repeatedly through a hotel hallway and briefly entering the gym.

At the security checkpoint, the video shows officers dismantling magnetometers and standing nearby when Allen suddenly emerges from a doorway and sprints toward the screening area. Most officers appear caught off guard as he rushes past them.

Only one visible officer appears to draw a weapon before Allen reaches the checkpoint. Pirro identified that officer as the agent who was struck and returned fire.Secret Service Director Sean Curran defended the agency’s handling of security for the event, saying the attack was contained within seconds at the outermost perimeter of a multi-layered protective zone around the president.

“The site was set up perfectly,” Curran said in an interview with Fox News, adding that multiple physical barriers and additional armed officers stood between the checkpoint and the ballroom podium where Trump was seated, approximately 355 feet away.

Allen, from Torrance, California, worked as a part-time tutor for a test preparation company and was also described by authorities as an amateur video game developer.

The remark came during Thursday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” in which Kimmel staged a parody version of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, appearing in a tuxedo behind a podium and delivering jokes aimed at the Trump administration and political figures, including the first lady.

Referring to Melania Trump in a staged audience cutaway, Kimmel said, “Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”The joke drew sharp condemnation from both the president and first lady after a security scare at the actual correspondents’ dinner on Saturday, when a California man armed with guns and knives allegedly attempted to enter the Washington ballroom where Trump, Melania Trump and senior U.S. political leaders were gathered.

Authorities later charged Cole Tomas Allen with the attempted assassination of the president.Melania Trump said in a social media post that “people like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate,” describing the comedian’s remarks as “hateful and violent rhetoric” intended to divide the country.

“A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him,” she wrote. “Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand.”Trump repeated the demand on his Truth Social platform, calling Kimmel’s comment a “despicable call to violence” and saying the comedian should be “immediately fired” by ABC and its parent company, Walt Disney Co.“

I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale,” Trump wrote.ABC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also criticized the late-night host, saying the remark reflected broader rhetoric from Democrats and parts of the media that had helped “legitimize this violence.”

“Who in their right mind says a wife would be glowing over the potential murder of her beloved husband?” Leavitt said, although there was no indication Kimmel was directly referring to violence.The National Religious Broadcasters association said it had filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission seeking an investigation into ABC, arguing that repeated jokes about political violence contribute to a broader culture of instability.

“We’re seeing a pattern of violence in this country that didn’t appear overnight,” NRB President and CEO Troy Miller said. “When influential voices joke about death or treat political opponents as disposable, it contributes to a culture where violence feels thinkable to the already unstable.”Kimmel, one of Trump’s most frequent late-night critics, has repeatedly clashed with the administration.

Last year, ABC temporarily suspended him after comments related to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk triggered backlash from Trump allies and some local affiliates. The suspension followed pressure from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee.

Kimmel later returned to air, saying he had not intended to make light of Kirk’s killing, though he stopped short of an apology and criticized station owners who removed him from programming before later reinstating him.Shortly after that episode, ABC signed Kimmel to a one-year contract extension that keeps him on air through May 2027.

His program has aired on the network since January 2003.During Thursday’s monologue, Kimmel also joked about Melania Trump’s birthday, saying she planned to celebrate “the same way she always does looking out a window and whispering, ‘What have I done?’”He also made a separate joke referencing Jeffrey Epstein while introducing the president and first lady.

Kimmel had not publicly responded to Monday’s criticism.

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, and said he was armed with multiple weapons before being stopped by Secret Service personnel near the event’s main security perimeter.

One law enforcement officer was struck in a bullet-resistant vest and is expected to recover, according to officials cited by The Associated Press.Addressing reporters later at the White House, Trump said the suspect had been carrying several weapons and described the officer’s survival as the result of close-range protective gear performance.

“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” Trump said.The incident unfolded just as Trump was preparing to deliver remarks at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, his first attendance at the annual event as president.

Guests inside the subterranean ballroom reported hearing between five and eight shots before Secret Service agents rushed toward the president.Witnesses said agents surrounded Trump onstage as guests ducked beneath tables and shouted warnings echoed through the hall.

During the evacuation, Trump briefly stumbled and was helped to his feet by security personnel before being escorted out.The banquet hall, filled with journalists, political leaders and public figures, was immediately placed under lockdown. National Guard personnel and law enforcement officers secured exits while helicopters circled overhead and surrounding streets were sealed off.

Among those evacuated were Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson.Johnson later said he and his wife were “praying for our country tonight,” while House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said “The violence and chaos in America must end.”

Republican Representative Mike Lawler of New York, who attended the dinner, said the uncertainty in the room escalated quickly after the first loud noise.“We didn’t know what the hell it was,” Lawler said, adding that threats against public officials have become increasingly common.

The event briefly appeared likely to resume as staff reset tables, refilled water glasses and prepared Trump’s teleprompter. However, White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang later announced the dinner would be canceled and rescheduled.“We will do this again,” Jiang told attendees.

The annual dinner, traditionally attended by presidents, journalists, lawmakers and celebrities, has long served as one of Washington’s most visible intersections of politics and media. Trump had not attended during his first term or the first year of his second term, making Saturday’s appearance particularly notable given his administration’s strained relationship with the press.

In recent months, Trump’s administration has clashed repeatedly with major media organizations including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press, while facing criticism over restrictions on press access and legal disputes involving journalists.

Ahead of the dinner, nearly 500 retired journalists signed a petition urging the correspondents’ association to take a stronger stand against what they described as threats to press freedom.Outside the hotel, a small group of protesters gathered before the event, some carrying signs criticizing the administration’s treatment of the media.

Authorities have not yet released further details about the suspect’s motive or how he reached the security perimeter of one of Washington’s most heavily protected political events.