Why was Kash Patel not on White House press dinner shooter’s list? Because he’s Hindu?

It’s been three days since a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a glamourous black-tie event which saw US President Donald Trump and other high-ranking officials in attendance.

The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, is now in custody and has been charged with attempting to assassinate the US president, transporting firearms to commit a felony, and unlawful discharge of a firearm during violence.

However, while investigations continue, there is one question that many are pondering. Why did Allen omit FBI director Kash Patel from his hit list?

Some have already made up their theories, while the authorities are also trying to figure out why Patel was specifically exempt from the gunman’s manifesto, which he sent to his family just minutes before the shooting.

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What did Cole Tomas Allen write in his manifesto?

After the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday (April 25), authorities uncovered that the suspected gunman, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, had sent a 1,056-word manifesto to his family, outlining his thoughts and reasoning.

Signed “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen”, the document began with a series of apologies to his family and work colleagues, writing, “I don’t expect forgiveness, but if I could have seen any other way to get this close, I would have taken it. Again, my sincere apologies.”

Cole Tomas Allen, the alleged suspect in the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on the ground after being apprehended. AFP

Allen then went on to provide justification for his actions. “On to why I did any of this: I am a citizen of the United States of America. What my representatives do reflects on me. And I am no longer willing to permit a paedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes…”

The 31-year-old also outlined his “terms of engagement” for the shooting. He wrote that “administration officials (not including Mr Patel) are targets, prioritised from highest-ranking to lowest”.

“Secret Service: they are targets only if necessary, and to be incapacitated non-lethally if possible. Hotel security: not targets if at all possible (aka unless they shoot at me).”

Other security services, as well as the guests present at the gala, were categorised as “non-targets” as long as they did not fire at Allen.

Why did Allen exclude Patel from his ‘targets’?

Shortly after Allen’s manifesto was released to the public through the media, people began to ask one question: why did he omit the FBI director from his hit list?

Many theories have begun circulating on the same, with even investigating authorities trying to decipher the shooter’s thinking.

One theory that has emerged is that Patel is a Hindu, and Allen seemed to be anti-Christian. One source even told the New York Post that this could be a possibility.

According to sources, Allen’s manifesto contained anti-Christian views, which leads many to assume that Patel, who is a Hindu, may not have fit Allen’s ideological target profile.

Kash Patel is sworn in as FBI director in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) on the White House campus in Washington, DC. Patel took the oath of office on the Bhagwad Gita, displaying his Hindu roots. File image/Reuters

For those who are unaware, Patel is a proud Hindu and has, time and again, displayed his Hindu values. For instance, Patel took the oath as FBI director on the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture. He has also, in the past, shared an article on social media, which discusses his Hindu upbringing and its influence on his leadership approach.

However, that’s not the only theory floating around. Federal investigators, according to a New York Post report, believe that Patel’s exclusion stems from the fact that Allen didn’t want to target law enforcement officials.

“Anything would really just be speculation, but he took the time to go through why he wasn’t targeting all of the law-enforcement agencies, so I think it’s probably related to that,” a law enforcement source told the New York Post.

Another source also concurred with this assessment that Allen didn’t want to target law enforcement, and hence, Patel was spared.

What next for Allen and Patel?

After the shooting, Allen was arrested, with Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche saying he was being uncooperative in the probe. On Monday, Allen was produced in federal court and charged with attempting to assassinate the US president, transporting firearms to commit a felony, and unlawful discharge of a firearm during violence.

The first charge carries a potential sentence of up to life in prison. Allen will return for a detention hearing on April 30 and a preliminary hearing on May 11.

Meanwhile, Patel is also in the firing line. If a report by the Politico is to be believed, then the FBI director is set to face the axe from US President Donald Trump. Politico’s Dasha Burns wrote on X, “A top White House official tells me that Kash Patel is likely the next Cabinet-level official to go. It’s only a matter of time.”

Patel’s possible firing comes as a result of the number of negative stories around him. Earlier, The Atlantic reported that Patel had episodes of “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences”. In turn, he has filed a $250 million defamation suit against the news outlet.

There’s also been chatter about Patel’s use of FBI assets for personal use. The New York Times reported that Patel instructed FBI agents to provide Alexis Wilkins, his girlfriend, with a full-time security detail.

Only time will tell if Patel does face the axe, but for now, he remains under scrutiny.

With inputs from agencies