A 31-year-old man from southern California has been charged with attempting to assassinate the US president after he allegedly sneaked into the White House correspondents' dinner as a guest. Cole Tomas Allen appeared in a federal court in Washington on Monday facing three charges, including attempted assassination, transportation of firearms to commit a felony, and unlawful discharge of a firearm during violence.
Allen, who was arrested on Saturday night outside the Hilton hotel ballroom where the gala was being held, was wearing a blue jail jumpsuit and sat beside his lawyers from the federal defender's office. Three US marshals sat behind him during the brief hearing. Prosecutors said he was armed with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a pistol and three knives at the time of his arrest.
The attempted assassination charge relies partly on a manifesto Allen allegedly sent to family members shortly before the attack. The document, quoted in court papers, refers to the president as a 'pedophile, rapist, and traitor' and lists administration officials as 'targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest'. Allen has no previous criminal record in Los Angeles county, according to a records search.
Authorities believe Allen travelled by train from California to Chicago and then to Washington, where he checked in as a guest at the Washington Hilton. He rushed through a security checkpoint on the evening of 24 April at about 8.40pm before being subdued by law enforcement. One officer was shot in the chest but was saved by a ballistic vest; the officer fired five times but did not hit the attacker.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the suspect was believed to have been targeting top administration officials, 'likely including the president'. He added that Allen was not cooperating with investigators and that the motive was not yet established. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said additional charges would be filed as the case unfolds. Allen will return to court for a detention hearing on 30 April and a preliminary hearing on 11 May.
