31-Year-Old Caltech Graduate Arrested After Attempting to Assassinate President and Cabinet at Washington Hilton

A 31-year-old computer science graduate checked into the Washington Hilton and attempted to assassinate the president of the United States and his cabinet on the night of April 24, 2026, according to The Free Press. Cole Tomas Allen, identified as the individual, is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology and had a job at the time of the incident.

Allen stated that he was acting on principle, with the conviction that it was his duty to target officials he believed were destroying the country.

The Free Press noted similar recent incidents involving individuals with advanced degrees, though broader data on political violence demographics was not detailed. A physics prodigy perpetrated a shooting at Brown University in December. Luigi Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, allegedly killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as detailed in the report.

A survey cited by The Free Press indicates that Americans with graduate degrees report about twice the support for political violence compared to those with some college or less, though such support remains a minority view across all education levels.