One month after shots were fired at the press gala in Washington, the alleged assailant pleaded not guilty on Monday to attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump.
Cole Allen, 31, has been charged with four counts, including assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and attempting to assassinate the President of the United States.
On April 25, he had tried to breach a security checkpoint at the entrance to the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, which President Trump was attending. Several shots were fired before Cole Allen was subdued and arrested.
According to the federal prosecutor in Washington, the investigation revealed that the suspect had fired a single shot, hitting an agent – wearing a bulletproof vest – before being targeted five times by the Secret Service, responsible for the security of high-profile Americans. Although not hit, he sustained a minor knee injury from falling.
In a manifesto sent to his relatives shortly before the press gala incident, the suspect also explained his intention to target “administration officials (…) in order of priority, from highest to lowest.”
This attack marks the third assassination attempt against 79-year-old President Donald Trump in less than two years. The Republican president was first targeted in July 2024 during a campaign rally where he was injured in the ear, and then a few months later at his golf course in Florida.
The next court hearing in this case is scheduled for June 29, according to several media outlets.
