A federal grand jury formally indicted Cole Tomas Allen on Tuesday with four charges, including attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump. The 31-year-old suspect allegedly fired at a Secret Service agent during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton. Allen faces life in prison if convicted and is set to be arraigned on May 11.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, faces charges of attempting to assassinate the president, assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon, transporting a firearm and ammunition across state lines with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives, Allen charged through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel. One floor above the ballroom hosting government officials and reporters, he fired, striking a Secret Service agent. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro confirmed the agent was hit by Allen's bullet, not friendly fire, telling CNN, “It is definitively his bullet, he hit that Secret Service agent, he had every intention to kill him and anyone who got in his way on his way to killing the president of the United States.” She described the act as “premeditated, violent... calculated to take down the president and anyone who was in the line of fire.”The indictment came amid controversy over Allen's detention. U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui expressed sympathy, telling Allen during a hearing, “I’m sorry... Whatever you’ve been through, I apologize for that now.” Jail officials had placed him on suicide watch in a padded cell, which the judge called punitive. Pirro criticized this on social media, saying, “Welcome to Washington, DC, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui believes a defendant armed to the teeth... is entitled to preferential treatment.”The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, nominated by President Trump in 2017. Allen remains in custody ahead of his arraignment scheduled for May 11.
