A mysterious X post from December 2023 has fueled wild conspiracy theories linking it to the recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD). The post, which simply names “Cole Allen,” appeared on a dormant account under the username ‘Henry Martinez’—its first and only message.
The Shooting Incident
Federal officials charge 31-year-old Cole Allen, a Torrance, California resident, with attempting to assassinate President Trump, discharging a firearm during a violent crime, and transporting arms across state lines. Authorities state Allen tried to enter the WHCD at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night after 8:30 p.m. ET, carrying multiple weapons. He fired at a Secret Service agent, who sustained a hit to their bulletproof vest and expects full recovery. Around 3,000 journalists and officials attended the gala inside.
Viral X Post Ignites Speculation
Online searches for Allen’s background unearthed the 2023 post, now viewed 54 million times. The ‘Henry Martinez’ account has surged to over 23,000 followers despite no further activity. Social media users claim it predicts the shooting 28 months ahead, with reactions like “Time travel is real” and “I hope everyone is as creeped out as I am.”
Expert Analysis Dismisses Manipulation
Cybersecurity expert James Knight from DigitalWarfare.com rules out post manipulation. “It is not possible on X to manipulate or backdate an existing post to make it appear years older than its actual creation date. Also, there are no known hacks or third-party tools for backdating,” Knight states. Each X post carries a unique Snowflake ID encoding its creation time, confirming the post dates to December 2023. Knight attributes it to coincidence, noting “Cole Allen” as a plausible random guess.
Social Security and Census data show “Cole” ranks below the top 150 boys’ names, while “Allen” ranks among the top 30 U.S. surnames. X’s algorithms amplified visibility by surfacing the post amid searches for the suspect.
Chilling Connections and Conspiracy Claims
Theorists highlight links: Allen interned at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California during a 2014 summer fellowship. That year, aerospace engineer Henry Martinez co-authored a NASA paper on the Orion spacecraft. The account’s profile background matches imagery from the “Time Machine” website, an EU project digitizing Europe’s cultural heritage.
Users speculate pre-planned attack ties, with one claiming, “It smells like this attack against Donald Trump had been planned for years… so many ‘coincidences.'” Another states, “I only have two words to say – time traveler.” No evidence confirms connections between the X user, Allen, or Martinez.
Allen’s Online Activity
Screenshots from an account linked to Allen show heated political posts. On November 4, 2024, one reads, “So exciting this week, we’ll either have the first woman president or the end of America.” The next day, it claims a vote for Kamala Harris. Other posts compare officials to historical authoritarian figures.
NASA verifies Allen’s 2014 internship via its Technical Reports Server.
