Man Gets Attempted Assassination Charge04/28 06:09

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- 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 as federal 
authorities suggested an attack that disrupted one of Washington's glitziest 
events had been planned for at least several weeks.

   Cole Tomas Allen appeared in court to face federal charges after the chaotic 
encounter Saturday that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being hurried off 
the stage unharmed and guests ducking for cover underneath their tables. He was 
ordered to remain jailed pending additional court hearings, and faces up to 
life in prison if convicted of the assassination count alone.

   An FBI affidavit filed in the case Monday revealed additional details about 
the planning behind the assault, with authorities alleging that Allen on April 
6 reserved a room for himself at the Washington hotel where the event would be 
held weeks later under its typical tight security. He traveled by train 
cross-country from California last week, checking himself into the Washington 
Hilton one day before the dinner with a room reserved for the weekend.

   The dinner had barely begun when officials say the 31-year-old Torrance, 
California, man tried to race past a security barricade near the cavernous 
ballroom holding hundreds of journalists and their guests, prompting an 
exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents tasked with safeguarding the 
event. Allen carried with him a 12-gauge pump action shotgun he bought last 
year and a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol he purchased in 2023, authorities 
said.

   "Violence has no place in civic life," acting Attorney General Todd Blanche 
said at a news conference. "It cannot and will not be used to disrupt 
democratic institutions or intimidate those who serve them, and it certainly 
cannot continue to be used against the president of the United States."

   He added: "We are investigating this matter fully, we will apply the law 
fairly and we will ensure that accountability is swift and certain."

   Allen was injured during the attack but was not shot. A Secret Service 
officer was shot but was wearing a bullet-resistant vest and survived, 
officials say.

   Questions remain about how many shots Allen fired and how many officers 
discharged their weapons.

   Blanche said investigators believe that a Secret Service agent fired five 
shots and that Allen discharged his shotgun at least once. But Blanche didn't 
say whether authorities have confirmed it was Allen's bullet that struck the 
agent in the vest, or whether any other officers used their weapons. Blanche 
said ballistics experts are still examining evidence to provide more clarity on 
those questions.

   The Justice Department charged Allen with two additional firearms counts, 
including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence, but the affidavit 
does not allege that Allen was responsible for shooting the agent.

   Suspect's email sheds light on motive

   The shooting resulted in the cancellation of the dinner, the first Trump had 
attended as president.

   White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said the night was 
supposed to be one of joy but instead was "hijacked by a crazed anti-Trump 
individual who traveled across the country to assassinate the president and as 
many administration officials as possible."

   Allen invoked his constitutional right to remain silent after his arrest, 
but authorities say an email he sent to family members and a former employer 
just before the attack helps shed light on a motive.

   In the message, a copy of which was included in the affidavit, Allen 
referred to himself as a "Friendly Federal Assassin" and alluded obliquely to 
grievances over a range of Trump administration actions. The rambling text 
moves between confession, grievance and farewell, with Allen apologizing to 
family members, co-workers and even strangers he feared could be caught in the 
violence while at the same time seeking to explain the attack.

   A magistrate judge granted a prosecutor's request to keep Allen locked up 
pending additional hearings. A detention hearing is set for Thursday.

   Allen did not speak at length during the quick appearance, as is customary. 
One of his lawyers, Tezira Abe, noted that he has no criminal record.

   "He also is presumed innocent at this time," she said.

   Records reveal that 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.

   Voter registration records from California lists Allen's home address as his 
parent's house on a tree-lined street in one of the most historic neighborhoods 
in Torrance, a city within the Los Angeles metro area. No one answered the door 
Sunday when an Associated Press reporter knocked. By the afternoon, several 
people who appeared to be law enforcement agents were canvassing the 
neighborhood, with one wearing an FBI sweatshirt.

   A yard sign displayed at the family home supported a local candidate for 
judge who was endorsed by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. Federal 
campaign finance records show Cole Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party 
political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024 
and listed his employer as C2 Education, which said in a statement Monday that 
it was shocked to learn of the shooting and was cooperating with law 
enforcement.

   Allen is registered to vote without a party affiliation in California and 
voted in the last three general elections, according to the Los Angeles County 
Registrar of Voters.

   He earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the 
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, according to his profile on the 
social networking site LinkedIn. The small university is academically 
prestigious with a very low acceptance rate. He also listed his involvement 
there in a campus group that battled with Nerf guns and a Christian student 
fellowship.

   Allen's profile photo on LinkedIn shows him wearing a cap and gown when 
graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State 
University, Dominguez Hills. The photo appears to have been taken May 2025.