Accused Gunman At White House Correspondents Dinner Charged With Attempting To Kill President

WASHINGTON, DC — Cole Tomas Allen, the man arrested in connection with a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, was formally accused Monday of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump, interstate transportation of weapons and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime in federal court, NBC and others report.

Allen was remanded into custody. He did not enter a plea. One of his lawyers, Texira Abe, noted that he has no criminal record.

He was ordered to remain jailed pending additional court hearings, and faces up to life in prison if convicted of the assassination count alone.

An FBI affidavit filed in the case reveals additional details about the planning behind the assault, with authorities alleging that Allen on April 6 reserved a room for himself at the Washington hotel where the event would be held weeks later under its typical tight security. He traveled by train cross-country from California last week, checking himself into the Washington Hilton one day before the dinner with a room reserved through the weekend.

The event had barely begun when officials say the 31-year-old Torrance, California, man, armed with a shotgun and pistol, tried to race past a security barricade near the cavernous ballroom holding hundreds of journalists and their guests, prompting an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents tasked with safeguarding the event.

Allen was injured but was not shot. A Secret Service officer was shot but was wearing a bullet-resistant vest and survived, officials say.

Authorities say Allen was taken into custody at the dinner Saturday night in Washington that was attended by Trump and top members of his administration. A social media profile for a man with the same name and a photo that appears to match that of the suspect show he worked part-time for the last six years at a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students.

In a message sent to family members minutes before the attack, Allen described himself as “Friendly Federal Assassin” and railed against recent actions taken by the U.S. government under Trump, though he did not name the Republican president directly, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press.

In an update on Sunday, Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police said that they believe Allen acted alone.

CBS News reports that a total of eight shots were fired during the incident.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.