Correspondents' Dinner suspect accused of trying to kill Trump. DOJ to speak soon
Watch Live: A Justice Department news conference is set to start at 3 p.m.
The man who authorities say tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives was charged Monday with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump and will remain at least temporarily behind bars as the case moves forward.
Cole Tomas Allen appeared in court Monday to face federal charges in a chaotic encounter that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being rushed off the stage and guests ducking for cover underneath their tables. He was taken into custody after the shooting on Saturday night and sat beside his lawyers in a brief appearance Monday in Washington’s federal court.
Besides being charged with attempting to assassinate the Republican president, Allen also faces two firearms charges. He did not enter a plea.
“He attempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” Assistant U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jocelyn Ballantine said.
Allen was walked out by four U.S. marshals and sat in court wearing a blue jumpsuit. He appeared to scan the public gallery, where 40 to 50 members of the press and public were observing the proceedings. Allen was soft spoken in his brief responses to Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh’s questions. He nodded along as the judge explained aspects of his proceedings.
His attorney, a federal public defender, said he has no prior arrests or convictions.
“He is presumed innocent at this time,” Tezira Abe said.
Prosecutors say Allen traveled with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a .38 caliber pistol, three knives and other “dangerous paraphernalia.”
Additional charges are possible as investigators’ work continues.
Allen could face up to life in prison on the charge of attempting to assassinate the president, plus a fine of up to $250,000.
Authorities say an officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot in the vest but is expected to recover.
Ten minutes before the shooting, Allen sent a long message to his family characterizing himself as a “friendly federal assassin,” investigators said. He described his targets as “administration officials” and alluded to grievances over a range of Trump administration actions.
His family said they alerted police when they saw his writings. They said Allen had a tendency to make radical statements and often referred to a plan to do something.
Allen is believed to have traveled by train from California to Chicago and then onto Washington, where he checked himself in as a guest at the hotel where the gala dinner was held with its typically tight security, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
Video posted by Trump shows a man running past a security barricade as Secret Service agents run toward him.
Records show Allen is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer. A social media profile for a man with the same name and a photo that appears to match that of the suspect show he worked part-time for the last six years at a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students.
The guns Allen had were legally purchased a few years ago.
FBI Director Kash Patel said he and Blanche will share additional details at a news conference later Monday.
Allen is due in court again Thursday morning for a detention hearing.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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