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A man accused of shooting a U.S. Secret Service agent attempting to breach security at a Washington dinner attended by President Donald Trump is facing federal charges of attempting to assassinate the president, a court official announced Monday.
Twenty-one-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California, also faces multiple firearms-related charges in a three-count complaint.
Allen appeared in Washington federal court wearing a blue inmate jumpsuit, just two days after authorities disrupted an attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner—an annual formal event featuring journalists and politicians.
“ He tried to assassinate President Donald J. Trump,” prosecutor Jocelyn Ballantine stated during the hearing.
Allen has yet to respond to the allegations. Sitting at the defense table flanked by U.S. marshals, he expressed willingness to answer questions honestly and mentioned holding a master’s degree in computer science.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ordered Allen to remain detained as the case proceeds and scheduled a further detention hearing for Thursday.
Allen left a manifesto with family members, in which he dubbed himself the “Friendly Federal Assassin” and detailed plans to target senior Trump administration officials present in the hotel ballroom. Officials suggest Trump himself may have been among his targets.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the incident as the third major assassination attempt against Trump, following two such attempts in 2024. She compared the language in Allen’s manifesto to rhetoric from Trump’s political opponents.
“Much of the suspect’s manifesto sounds indistinguishable from the words we hear daily from many critics,” Leavitt said. “The entire Democrat Party has portrayed Donald Trump as an existential threat to democracy, labeling him a fascist.”
Prominent Democrats have condemned the shooting.
Allen booked a room at the Washington Hilton hotel where the dinner was held and traveled from California to D.C. by train, officials noted.
The shooting caused chaos at the event, a significant fixture on Washington’s social scene. Attendees scrambled under tables and law enforcement quickly evacuated senior officials. Trump, who was scheduled to speak later that evening, was hurried off stage as gunshots rang out.
The suspect reportedly fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent at a hotel checkpoint before being tackled and arrested. Video footage shared online by Trump showed the suspect running through a hallway outside the ballroom.
Authorities said the suspect was subdued just inside a secure perimeter and described his capture as a law enforcement success. The Secret Service agent was hit but was protected by a tactical vest and was released from the hospital hours later.
Allen was armed with a handgun, multiple knives, and the shotgun. He was also transported to a hospital for evaluation following the incident.
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