Gala dinner shooting suspect charged with trying to kill Trump

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 offences.

Wearing a blue jump suit 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 the 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 the criminal complaint.

According to prosecutors, Allen had a shotgun, a pistol and three knives. His attorneys said he has no prior arrests or convictions.

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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.

Full investigation 

“We are investigating this matter fully,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during a press conference after the hearing. “We will apply the law fairly and we will ensure that accountably is swift and certain.”

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.”

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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 the charging documents, which didn’t mention Trump by name but appeared to refer to him.

Allen spent years quietly acquiring an arsenal, purchasing a Maverick 12-gauge pump-action shotgun in August and and a semi-automatic pistol in 2023, according to a law enforcement intelligence profile reviewed by Bloomberg.

Blanche said in the interview Sunday on CBS News’ Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan that authorities believe Allen, who had earned a mechanical engineering degree from Caltech, traveled cross country by rail to get to Washington and checked in at the hotel where the gala was being held.

Allen faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of trying to assassinate the president.

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