DHS: Iran War Fueled Trump Assassination Attempt

A US intelligence report found that the war with Iran may have helped motivate the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump and senior administration officials at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last month.

The preliminary assessment, produced by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis and dated April 27, said suspect Cole Allen had “multiple social and political grievances.” It identified the US-Israeli war with Iran as one possible factor in his alleged decision to carry out the attack, citing social media posts in which Allen criticized US actions in the conflict.

The report, marked as a “Critical Incident Note,” was circulated to state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide, as well as other federal agencies. It was obtained through open records requests by the transparency nonprofit Property of the People and shared with Reuters.

The assessment offers new insight into the government’s search for a motive in the foiled April 25 attack. US officials have previously said little publicly about Allen’s alleged motivation, beyond pointing to an email he sent relatives on the night of the attack. Authorities have described the message as a manifesto. In it, Allen reportedly expressed anger at the administration and referred to his desire to target the “traitor” giving a speech, though he did not name Trump directly.

In court documents, prosecutors said Allen “disagreed” with Trump politically and wanted to “fight back” against government policies and decisions he considered morally objectionable.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department added a charge of assault on a federal officer, accusing Allen of firing at a Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint. He already faces charges including attempted assassination, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and illegal transportation of a firearm and ammunition across state lines. He has not yet entered a plea.

A senior law enforcement official told Reuters that the FBI is conducting a detailed review of Allen’s social media activity and digital footprint. The review includes a Bluesky account linked to Allen that posted and shared anti-Trump messages in the weeks before the attack.

The account reportedly criticized US actions in Iran, immigration enforcement, Elon Musk, Russia’s war in Ukraine and reporters planning to attend the White House dinner. It also shared a post calling for Trump’s impeachment over his April 7 threat to destroy Iranian civilization, made hours before Trump agreed to a ceasefire.

The FBI has also reviewed a 2024 post from an account connected to Allen that appeared to call Trump “the devil” while quoting a Bible verse in response to a message from Tiffany Trump.