The California man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was highly educated and had worked as a tutor, a profile one university president said raises an unsettling question about the role of education in shaping character.

Cole Allen, 31, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 and a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills last year. That doesn’t match the typical resume of a would-be presidential assassin, but a disturbing shift appears to be underway, according to Cornerstone University President Gerson Moreno-Riaño.

«A troubling trend that appears to be emerging is that of the ‘educated assassin,’ individuals who do not fit the typical profile of people who commit such heinous acts,» Moreno-Riaño said. «These individuals are often schooled in some of America’s most elite institutions and act out of a perverted philosophical conviction that sees the killing of others not as evil, but as justified.»

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«My concern has been for many, many years that some of these not just activists, but violent activists, are perhaps some of the most highly educated ones in our country,» he said. «When education ceases to educate, when it’s ideological, when it’s brainwashing, when it’s indoctrination, it’s no longer education… It’s something very different.»

Prosecutors say Allen, who remains in federal custody, targeted Trump and Cabinet officials in the April 25 incident. He allegedly had authored a damning manifesto and left what authorities described as an extensive digital trail showing weeks of planning.

In addition to his advanced schooling, Allen joined tutoring company C2 Education in March 2020, according to his LinkedIn profile. A Dec. 30, 2024, Facebook post from the company congratulated «Cole Allen of C2 Education Torrence» as a teacher of the month.

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Law enforcement personnel detain Cole Tomas Allen, a suspect in the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026. (Donald J Trump via Truth Social/Handout via Reuters)

Secret Service Director Sean Curran told Fox News Thursday that Allen shot an agent in the chest while «charging through security,» with the round stopped by the agent’s bulletproof vest.

Curran said the agent returned five shots that missed, adding the agent was the only person other than Allen who discharged a weapon during the incident. Allen is believed to have tripped and fallen, prompting Secret Service agents to surround and subdue him.

Defense attorneys claim prosecutors lack key physical evidence and dispute aspects of how the incident has been characterized. A defense memo described Allen as a «devout Christian,» a highly educated man with no criminal history and a «loved and respected teacher.»

But Moreno-Riaño warned that credentials and professional roles do not necessarily reflect deeper moral grounding.

«The universities have rejected the centrality of God, a theistic Christian worldview, but nothing has taken its place,» he said.

«There is no moral compass for universities and for education today. It just doesn’t exist.»

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A Secret Service agent fires at Cole Allen, suspected in the assassination attempt of President Donald Trump on Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Obtained by The Washington Post)

He added that parents should take a more active role in understanding what their children are being taught.

«Parents can no longer… simply drop off their student» and assume responsibility ends there, Moreno-Riaño said.

Moreno-Riaño also said people who carry out acts like this can hide their intentions, making them difficult to identify ahead of time.

«Our entire life as a whole, whatever we do in private, whatever we’re doing in secret, does have a significant impact on what we do in public,» he said.

Allen’s next hearing is scheduled for May 11.

For Moreno-Riaño, the case points to a moral concern.

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«There’s a crisis of morality, a crisis of faith,» he said. «Without it, all we’re giving to students is just information then. And that’s not giving them guidance and moral direction.»

Fox News Digital’s Alex Koch, Asra Q. Nomani, Jake Gibson, Julia Bonavita and Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this reporting.

Para la Cámara de Comercio, Industrias y Agricultura de Panamá en el país existe la necesidad de mirar de frente a los retos de la realidad laboral, conformada por el desempleo, la informalidad, las desigualdades de acceso y la obligación de generar plazas de trabajo para más panameños.

No obstante, indica que hay una señal “alentadora” en las cifras recientes dadas a conocer por el Ministerio de Trabajo y Desarrollo Laboral (Mitradel).

En el primer trimestre de 2026, de acuerdo con la entidad gubernamental, se registraron 84,067 contratos laborales.

Estos resultados, destaca el Mitradel, evidencian un comportamiento positivo en la generación de empleo formal, en línea con los esfuerzos orientados a dinamizar el mercado laboral y ampliar las oportunidades para la población panameña, manteniendo una ruta de avance progresivo.

Para la Cámara de Comercio, Industrias y Agricultura de Panamá la cifra representa un crecimiento de 25.2% al compararla con el 2025.

“Es una recuperación importante del empleo formal y una muestra de mayor dinamismo económico y empresarial”, manifestó Aurelio Barría Pino, presidente del gremio comercial.

Pero, apuntó que “el mensaje debe ser completo. De esos contratos, 55% fueron definidos, 23% por obra determinada y 22% indefinidos. Es decir, aunque hay más contrataciones, aún predomina una estructura laboral donde no todos los empleos ofrecen estabilidad sostenible”.

Por ello, sostuvo que el desafío está en consolidar empleos formales, productivos y sostenibles, que den seguridad a los trabajadores, fortalezcan a las empresas y permitan que más panameños salgan de la informalidad.

Esta es una realidad que para Barría Pino limita ingresos, reduce protección social, afecta la productividad y debilita la capacidad del país para crecer con inclusión.

El empleo formal debe ocupar el centro de las decisiones nacionales, no duda en afirmar la entidad empresarial en la voz de su presidente.

Detalló que el empleo formal surge cuando el país genera condiciones para producir, invertir y crecer, lo cual requiere confianza, agilidad institucional, proyectos en ejecución y empresas con capacidad de abrir nuevas plazas.

Cada sector que se activa mueve una cadena completa de proveedores, comercios, servicios, profesionales, técnicos y trabajadores, por lo que el gremio admite que la mejor política laboral es una economía que funcione y que permita transformar la actividad productiva en oportunidades concretas.

Es indispensable, proponen en su mensaje dominical los comerciantes, cerrar las brechas al mercado laboral de los jóvenes, alegando que la experiencia no debe ser una barrera de entrada, sino parte del proceso de formación.

En esa línea, reiteraron que la Ley de Pasantías debe convertirse en un mecanismo efectivo para acercar el estudiante a la empresa y facilitar el primer paso hacia un trabajo estable.

Desde la Cámara de Comercio, Industrias y Agricultura de Panamá ampliaron que asumen este compromiso con responsabilidad. Agregan que seguirán promoviendo la participación del sector privado, la articulación con las autoridades y la adopción de buenas prácticas para que más panameños encuentren espacios reales de crecimiento, formación, empleo digno y sostenible.

“El trabajador panameño necesita oportunidades reales, y esas oportunidades solo se construyen con acción, responsabilidad y visión de país”, afirma la agrupación de comerciantes.

Este pasado 1 de mayo, agrupados en sindicatos y organizaciones sociales, los obreros marcharon por las calles de la ciudad de Panamá exigiendo estabilidad laboral, mejoras salariales y trabajos dignos, mientras denunciaban la persecución sindical.

Los trabajadores llegaron a esa celebración con un atomizado y descabezado movimiento obrero, producto de las medidas impuestas por el gobierno de José Raúl Mulino, que en los tribunales aún tramita la disolución de la mayor agrupación sindical del país, el Sindicato Único de Trabajadores de la Industria de la Construcción y Similares (Suntracs).

A large cargo ship was attacked by multiple small craft while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, roughly 11 nautical miles west of Sirik, Iran, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.

The master of the northbound bulk carrier reported the attack to UKMTO, which said all crew members were safe and no environmental impact had been reported. Vessels in the area were advised to transit with caution and report suspicious activity while authorities investigate.

The incident occurred near one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints and comes amid heightened tensions over Iranian threats to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported that Tehran’s latest peace proposal to the U.S. says the strait should be governed and controlled by Iran.

«What is certain is that we will not step back from the Strait of Hormuz, and it will not return to its pre-war state,» Ali Nikzad, deputy speaker of Iran’s parliament, said Sunday.

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The location is significant because territorial waters generally extend up to 12 nautical miles from a nation’s coastline. But under international maritime law, foreign-flagged vessels are allowed innocent passage through territorial seas so long as they are not engaging in threatening conduct, fishing or other prohibited activity.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea says coastal states may claim a territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles, while foreign vessels are allowed «innocent passage» through those waters.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack. The vessel was not publicly identified in the initial UKMTO alert.

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Iran has previously used fast-attack boats to harass or seize vessels in and around the strait. Sunday’s incident follows a series of maritime attacks in the region during the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the U.S. and Israel, with commercial shipping repeatedly caught in the middle.

The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is a key route for global energy shipments. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has described it as a critical oil chokepoint, and roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption moved through the strait in recent years.

A cargo ship sails in the Persian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, 2026. (AP Photo)

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The UKMTO alert did not say whether the small craft were Iranian, and authorities were continuing to investigate.

Fox News’ Bryan Llenas and Nick Kalman contributed to this report.