A social media account that several years ago posted the name of the man arrested in Saturday’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is gaining attention in the wake of the incident.
The X account @HenryMa79561893, which uses the name “Henry Martinez,” joined the platform in December 2023. It made one post, writing “Cole Allen” on December 22 that year, and has lain dormant ever since.
That post, which has now been viewed more than 44 million times, is gaining attention after a man named Cole Allen was arrested in connection with the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner, which President Donald Trump, top administration officials and journalists attended.
It is unclear whether the X account has any link to Allen, who authorities said would face charges, including using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer.
Still, the post and account have sparked a frenzy on the platform, with some users sharing conspiracy theories and suggesting that @HenryMa79561893 may have had prior knowledge of the incident.
“The WHCD shooting is getting SUPER WEIRD. The shooter is called Cole Allen, and an X account for Henry Martinez posted ‘Cole Allen’ on Dec 22, 2023,” wrote Mario Nawfal, an entrepreneur with more than 3 million followers on X.
“That’s the account’s ONLY post, and get this, the header image for Henry’s account is from a website called TIME MACHINE!! Weird AF,” he continued.
However, other users said the post was likely a coincidence, saying “Cole Allen” is a fairly common name.
What Happened at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?
Authorities said a man armed with guns and knives breached security at the White House correspondents’ dinner and opened fire, forcing the Secret Service to remove Trump and members of his Cabinet. Trump was uninjured and rushed off the stage.
The shooting unfolded outside the Washington Hilton’s subterranean ballroom, where the dinner was being held.
Video posted by Trump on his Truth Social platform showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest and was recovering, officials said. The gunman was tackled to the ground and apprehended.
Who Is Cole Tomas Allen?
Law enforcement identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California.
On his LinkedIn profile, Allen described himself as a game developer, engineer, scientist and teacher.
The profile said he had worked part time for the past six years at C2 Education, which offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students. A post on C2’s Facebook page listed Allen as the company’s “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024. His profile said he was a mechanical engineer at IJK Controls in South Pasadena between June 2017 and September 2018.
Allen earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology, according to his LinkedIn. Caltech confirmed to Newsweek that Allen graduated from the university in 2017 but had “no further information at this time.”
On LinkedIn, Allen’s profile said he graduated with a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Bin Tang, a computer science professor at the university, told the Associated Press that Allen took several of his classes. “He was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions,” Tang said. “Soft-spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news.”
In a manifesto, the alleged shooter described himself as “Friendly Federal Assassin” and railed against recent actions taken by the U.S. government under Trump, though the writer did not name the president directly.
Allen’s brother notified police in New London, Connecticut, about the manifesto, which Allen shared with family members shortly before the shooting incident, a White House official told Newsweek on Sunday.
The White House official also said that, according to Allen’s sister, he purchased two handguns and a shotgun from Cap Tactical Firearms and kept them stored at their parents’ home—something the parents were unaware of. The sister also said, according to the official, that Allen was part of a group called the “Wide Awakes” and had attended a “No Kings” protest in California at some point.
Student Says Allen Was ‘Normal Guy’
Jason Moses, an 11th grade student, told reporters that Allen had tutored him at C2 Education.
“I got a lot of help with my physics homework and prepared for tests with him,” he said.
Moses described Allen as “pretty normal” and “a smart guy.”
“He was a little quirky, but it’s nothing that, you know—you would definitely would not expect him to, you know, do the thing he did tonight,” he added. “He seemed like a very ordinary person.”
Moses continued: “You never expect it coming from this guy. He was a nice guy. Down to earth guy.”
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