The man arrested after shots were fired inside the hotel where the White House Correspondents' Dinner was being held on Saturday night has been named by law enforcement officials as Cole Tomas Allen.

The 31-year-old suspect, who described himself as a mechanical engineer, game developer and teacher, is from Torrance in the Los Angeles region of California.

Police said Allen exchanged fire with security agents on a level of the Washington Hilton hotel that was one floor above the room in which Trump had gathered with members of his cabinet and journalists.

After he was detained, Allen told officials he wanted to shoot officials in the Trump administration, two sources told CBS, the BBC's US news partner.

US media are reporting a history of anti-Trump social media posts from 31-year-old Allen, citing law enforcement sources.

The BBC's partner CBS News has seen a written document believed to be linked to the suspect. Other US media have reported on the same document.

The document said the gunman wanted to target members of the Trump administration "from highest-ranking to lowest", and that while guests and hotel staff were not the intended targets, they would be attacked if necessary to get to the officials.

BBC News has not independently verified the alleged writings, which have been described as a manifesto and were reportedly sent to the suspect's family members before the attempted attack.

On Sunday, Trump told Fox News that the suspect "had a lot of hatred in his heart for a while", and said his family knew he had "difficulties". He, too, suggested the suspect had a manifesto, and suggested the man was "strongly anti-Christian".

Trump later told CBS's 60 Minutes programme that the suspect "was a Christian - believer, and then he became an anti-Christian, and he had a lotta change".

The suspect was a guest at the Washington Hilton hotel where the correspondents' dinner was taking place, said Washington interim police chief Jeffery Carroll.

Carroll added that the suspect had been armed "armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives" during Saturday's incident.

"At this point, it does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman," the police chief said.

Citing its sources, CBS also said that at least five to eight gunshots were fired during the incident. CCTV footage posted by Trump shows a person rushing past security officers, who then turn and chase him.

Trump later posted a close-up photo showing a shirtless man on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back with Secret Service agents standing around him.

Carroll said the suspect was not struck by gunfire but was taken to hospital for evaluation.

Speaking to NBC on Sunday, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the motive of the suspected assailant was still under investigation, but that "preliminary" findings suggested he was targeting administration officials, "likely" including President Donald Trump.

Blanche said investigators were now looking at reports that the alleged gunman had assembled the weapon in the hotel, stressing that he "didn't get very far".

"He barely broke the perimeter," Blanche said, adding that the suspect had likely travelled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then to Washington DC.

Pictures later emerged showing FBI agents and police searching an area at a California address believed to be linked to the alleged gunman.

On Sunday, the BBC witnessed the usually quiet neighbourhood swarming with media. No-one answered the door at the address, and a stack of journalists' business cards were visible on the front porch.

Neighbours seemed shocked. They thought Cole lived in the house with his parents - many said they waved to him regularly but did not know him well.

Some of them point out that the garage's windows appear to be covered, which they had not noticed before.

"It's definitely not normal for the neighbourhood," says Vince Terrazzino, who walked past the house with his 10-year-old daughter, Alessandra. "Nothing ever happens here," he says.

BBC Verify has been looking into the online presence of the suspect.

Los Angeles County's voter registration records appear to show he had registered no party preference.

According to a Federal Election Commission record, seen by BBC Verify, in October 2024 Allen donated $25 (£18) to the fundraising platform ActBlue with the money earmarked for Kamala Harris' presidential campaign.

Allen describes himself as a mechanical engineer, game developer and teacher on LinkedIn.

According to his profile, he studied mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) a highly competitive university, where he took part in its Christian fellowship.

He graduated with a masters in computer science in 2025 from California State University, Dominguez Hills, marking the milestone by sharing a photo of himself in graduation robes to LinkedIn. He also developed and released a game called "Bohrdom" to the gaming platform Steam.

On Facebook, photos of Allen - which BBC Verify has matched to those of his arrest at the Washington Hilton hotel - show him smiling in family photographs at Christmas and graduation events.

In December 2024, he was named teacher of the month by C2 Education, which offers tutoring and college test preparation to students, according to the organisation's Facebook post.

He has been a part-time teacher there since 2020, his LinkedIn profile says. The Torrance Unified School District told CBS in a statement that Allen has never been an employee of their district.

Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for Washington, said the suspect was now facing two charges - using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.

She added that he would be formally charged on Monday in federal court.