In a prelude to the White House Correspondents' Dinner attack, authorities have traced the guns used by suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allen back to two gun stores in California where he legally bought them over the past several years.
The New York Post reported that the early evening of 25 April 2026 turned to chaos outside the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, when 31-year-old Allen attempted to breach a security checkpoint armed with multiple firearms and knives in an apparent bid to target high-level US government officials at the annual media dinner. Law enforcement quickly subdued him, but questions immediately emerged about how he acquired his weapons and prepared his arsenal prior to the attack.
