Cole Allen, a 31-year-old from Torrance, California, faces federal charges including attempted assassination of the president after a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night. President Trump and top officials were evacuated from the event at the Washington Hilton, where a Secret Service agent was struck but uninjured. Authorities say Allen targeted administration officials and carried multiple weapons.
Federal prosecutors charged Cole Allen on Monday with attempting to assassinate President Trump, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and transporting a firearm across state lines with intent to commit a felony. Allen, who traveled by train from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., allegedly possessed a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a .38 semi-automatic pistol, and three knives. He did not enter a plea and remains detained ahead of a Thursday hearing. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro stated at a news conference, 'Make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the president of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was, and that intent was to bring down as many of the high ranking cabinet officials as he could.' A manifesto attributed to Allen outlined plans to target officials from highest to lowest ranking, citing the administration's 'crimes.'
