Cole Tomas Allen, the man arrested after allegedly robbing a security guard during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, was charged Monday with attempting to kill President Donald Trump, who attended the event on Saturday.
Allen, 31, is charged with transporting a firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, prosecutors said during his arraignment in US District Court in Washington, DC.
“He attempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump … which is a crime of terrorism,” the prosecutor said as he asked Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh to order Allen held without bond.
The prosecutor said Allen was carrying a 12 gauge, pump-action shotgun, .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and was carrying three knives and other dangerous items when he was arrested.
Sharbaugh scheduled an inmate hearing for Thursday morning after Allen’s attorney, Tezira Abe, said she agreed with prosecutors to proceed with the case that day. The judge rescheduled the hearing for Monday.
Allen was allegedly armed with a handgun, a handgun, and a knife as he ran through the checkpoint toward the playroom.
American President Trump posted on social media a photo of law enforcement arresting a suspect following a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC, United States, on the night of April 25, 2026. The suspect, identified as Cole Thomas Allen, 31, was taken into custody immediately following the disturbance that occurred at the event.
Social Reality | Anadolu | Getty Images
One Secret Service office was shot at, but not seriously injured, according to Trump, who said the agent’s protective gear.
The court hearing comes as concerns were raised about the Secret Service’s handling of Saturday’s event, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance were escorted out after gunshots rang out during the hearing in the ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
“We have to do a few things differently, and we’re already talking about it, and that’s a good thing, and we’ll be better positioned for the next event,” FBI Director Kash Patel told “Fox and Friends” in an interview Monday morning.
“Reminding everyone. This was almost the entire president’s cabinet, the president and the vice president himself, and 2,000 members of the media,” said Patel. “This is something that movies don’t write about, this kind of tragedy.”
Patel said the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit is involved in the investigation and has collected emails, social media posts, and conducted interviews to gain insight into Allen’s motivations.
He said the criminal complaint against Allen “will show what he did, how he got there, where he got to, when he got there, how he got off the field, in the area in question, how he was able to get past security without being seen.”
Allen, who had stayed at the hotel before dinner, reportedly sent an email to relatives shortly before the shooting in which he wrote that Trump administration officials were “targeted, prioritized from top to bottom.”
In a “PS” letter, first reported by the New York Post, Allen continued what he called a “rant” about the lack of security measures at the Hilton.
“I come in with a lot of weapons and nobody thinks I’m a threat,” Allen wrote, according to The Post. The security at the event is outside, focusing on the protesters and the arrivals, because apparently no one thought about what would happen if someone checked the day before.”
“Like, this level of misconduct is insane, and I sincerely hope that it will be corrected when this country gets competent leadership again,” he wrote.
The letter is signed “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen,” The Post reported.
