Gunman at White House dinner charged with attempting to assassinate Trump

(SeaPRwire) –   Cole Allen is accused of breaching security at a presidential press event on Saturday while carrying a shotgun and pistol

The armed suspect who allegedly tried to push past security at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner has been charged with the attempted assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine told a federal court in Washington that 31-year-old Cole Allen, a teacher from California, was allegedly armed with a 12 gauge pump action shotgun, a .38-caliber semi-automatic pistol and three knives when he was arrested following his attempt to rush into the high-profile event on Saturday.

Federal prosecutors have charged Allen with three counts: attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of weapons, and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime.

The suspect is not required to enter a plea at this stage of the case.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ordered that Allen remain in custody as the case proceeds. The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday, when a decision will be made on whether he qualifies for pretrial release.

Allen’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 11.

Even though Allen faces the charge of attempting to assassinate the president, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche made clear that the suspect never had any opportunity to reach Trump.

“This man was one floor above the event ballroom, with hundreds of federal agents between him and the president of the United States,” he said at a press conference following the court hearing.

When asked whether investigators have determined who shot a Secret Service agent during Allen’s alleged assassination attempt, Blanche declined to answer directly, emphasizing that evidence is still being examined.

“It appears… that five shots were fired by law enforcement,” he said. “As the complaint lays out, we believe that the defendant fired the shotgun… But I will not get into precise ballistic details today.”

In a manifesto Allen allegedly wrote, which was first published by the New York Post, the suspect stated he intended to kill government officials, with the “highest-ranking” target being Trump, whom he called “a pedophile, rapist, and traitor.”