Cole Tomas Allen, the individual apprehended after allegedly charging a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, has been criminally charged with attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.
According to a prosecutor at his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., Allen is also facing charges of transporting a firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
“He attempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump... an enumerated crime of terrorism,” the prosecutor stated as she requested Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh to order Allen detained without bond, CNBC reported.
The prosecutor said that Allen possessed “a 12-gauge, pump-action shotgun, a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol, three knives, and other dangerous paraphernalia” when he was detained, according to CNBC.
Judge Sharbaugh scheduled a detention hearing for Apr. 30, 2026, after the suspect’s attorney, Tezira Abe, confirmed Allen’s agreement with prosecutors to hold the proceeding on that day.
Judge Sharbaugh additionally scheduled a preliminary hearing for Monday, May 4, 2026.
Shooter Scrutinizes Security
“I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat,” Allen wrote in the email “manifesto” first reported by The New York Post that was sent out to Allen’s relatives before the incident.
“The security at the event is all outside, focused on protestors and current arrivals, because apparently no one thought about what happens if someone checks in the day before,” Allen added. “Like, this level of incompetence is insane, and I very sincerely hope it’s corrected by the time this country gets actually competent leadership again.”
Kash Patel Responds To Security Concerns
“We got to do a couple of things differently, and we’re already talking about it, and that’s the good thing, and we’re going to be better postured for the next event,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in an interview with FOX News’ “Fox and Friends.”
Concerns over the Secret Service’s handling of the incident have arisen, as President Trump and Vice President JD Vance were evacuated from the ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel after gunshots erupted.
