A federal court in Washington indicted the man suspected of opening fire at a press gala attended by Donald Trump on charges of attempted assassination of the U.S. president and two gun-related offenses.
Cole Allen, 31, could face a life sentence if found guilty of attempting to kill Donald Trump at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday in Washington. Allen, from Torrance near Los Angeles, California, did not specify how he planned to plea at the hearing. He remains in custody pending a new appearance.
Prosecutors told the court that the suspect was in possession of a shotgun, a semi-automatic pistol, and three knives when he tried to breach the security at the Hilton hotel where the event was being held.
Multiple shots were fired before the alleged shooter was subdued at a checkpoint near the dinner venue. He did not approach the president or other guests. This is the third attempted assassination on Donald Trump, 79, in less than two years. He was first targeted in July 2024 during a campaign rally where he was hit in the ear, and later at his golf course in Florida.
The White House denounced on Monday a “cult of hate coming from the left”, which was accused of fueling political violence. The Democrat opposition has criticized what they see as an authoritarian drift from the Trump administration.
Donald Trump has pushed the boundaries for a U.S. president in terms of language towards political opponents. During chaotic scenes on Saturday night, Secret Service agents evacuated Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and Vice President JD Vance after the shots were fired.
Security camera footage shared by Trump on Truth Social showed a person rushing through a metal detector at the entrance of the gala venue, with law enforcement officers drawing their weapons.
The annual dinner of Washington’s political and media elite was disrupted by the shots, causing hundreds of guests in tuxedos and evening gowns to take cover on the floor between tables in the massive ballroom at the Hilton hotel. “I wasn’t worried,” boasted the Republican president on Sunday during the “60 Minutes” TV show on CBS. “I know life. We live in a crazy world.”
“This is not the first time in recent years that our republic has been attacked by a would-be assassin seeking to kill,” he had reacted on Saturday night, still in his suit, during a press conference at the White House.
Donald Trump also told Fox News on Sunday that the suspect, who he described as “evidently disturbed”, had written a “very anti-Christian” text. Extracts from this text, signed by the name “Cole ‘coldForce’ Friendly Federal Assassin’Allen” and sent to the suspect’s family just minutes before the attack, are included in the indictment.
“I am no longer willing to allow a pedophile, a rapist, and a traitor to dirty my hands with his crimes,” he wrote, without naming Donald Trump but apparently referring, notably, to the Epstein case. The American press found on social media old messages attributed to Cole Allen, in which this mechanical engineer, passionate about video game development, frequently criticized the president’s policies.
Following the attack, reactions from world leaders poured in, expressing shock and offering support to Donald Trump while condemning political violence. Among them, King Charles III, who arrived in the United States on Monday for a state visit, expressed relief that the president was unharmed. It was at the same Hilton hotel in Washington where President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981 during an assassination attempt.
