A California man is being charged with trying to kill US President Donald Trump during an attack on a Washington gala dinner over the weekend.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, made his first appearance in federal court on Monday. He is also being charged with gun offenses.
Wearing a blue jumpsuit and flanked by two public defenders, Allen appeared calm during the brief proceeding and will remain in custody for now. A detention hearing is set for later this week.
The charges, which were read by a federal magistrate judge overseeing Monday’s appearance, are being brought by the US attorney’s office in the District of Columbia. That office is expected to carry out the prosecution against Allen. The charges include transporting a firearm across state lines with intent to commit a felony and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, according to a copy of a criminal complaint released on Monday.
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According to prosecutors, Allen had a shotgun, a pistol and three knives. His attorneys said he has no prior arrests or convictions.
Allen was intercepted by agents and taken into custody outside of the ballroom at the Washington Hilton, where the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner was taking place Saturday evening.
The incident sent attendees scrambling for safety at the annual gala, which is held to support the work of journalists and educate the public about the value of the First Amendment and a free press.
Administration officials have said Allen was trying to storm the event to target top US officials, including Trump, who was in attendance. Trump, Vice President JD Vance and members of the cabinet were evacuated.
“We are investigating this matter fully,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during a press conference after Allen’s court appearance. “We will apply the law fairly and we will ensure that accountability is swift and certain.”
Blanche said the investigation into the incident is still trying to determine exactly what happened with regard to shots being fired. He said investigators have told him that Allen fired his shotgun and that a law enforcement officer got off five shots.
Blanche said investigators also are examining any connections that Allen may have had to left-leaning organizations.
Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for the District of Columbia, said during the press conference that prosecutors expect to file additional charges against Allen. She said Allen was targeting administration officials and prioritizing “from the top down.”
Blanche defended the actions of security officers at the event. “Law enforcement did not fail,” Blanche said. “This man was a floor above the ballroom with hundreds of federal agents between him and the president of the United States.” Blanche said during a media interview over the weekend that Allen is believed to have acted alone.
Potential motives weren’t clear. Allen had sent a manifesto to his family members that was included in charging documents, which didn’t mention Trump by name but appeared to refer to him.
He had spent years quietly acquiring an arsenal, purchasing a Maverick 12-gauge pump-action shotgun in August and a semi-automatic pistol in 2023, according to a law enforcement intelligence profile reviewed by Bloomberg.
Allen had a mechanical engineering degree from Caltech. He took a train from the Los Angeles area to Chicago and then to Washington in the days before the dinner, arrived April 24 and checked into the Washington Hilton, according to the complaint.
Allen faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of trying to assassinate the president.
