Trump dinner shooting suspect charged with attempted assassination of president | World | News
The man who authorities say tried to attack the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with a gun and knives has been accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump.
He appeared in court Monday to face charges in a chaotic encounter that led to shots being fired, Trump being thrown off the stage and guests taking shelter under their tables. Cole Tomas Allen was taken into custody and charged in federal court in Washington following the Saturday night shooting. An officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot in the vest but is expected to recover, authorities said.
In addition to being accused of attempting to assassinate the Republican president, Allen also faces two firearms charges. He did not enter into a defence.
A judge on Monday granted a prosecutor’s request that Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, be held in custody pending additional hearings. Tezira Abe, one of Allen’s lawyers, requested a detention hearing and stated that Allen had no criminal record.
“He is also presumed innocent at this time,” he said. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Allen traveled by train from California to Chicago and then to Washington, where he checked in as a guest at the hotel where the gala dinner was typically held with tight security.
“In fact, it appears that he was attempting to target people who work in the administration, possibly including the president,” Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. In the video released by Trump, a man who authorities said was armed with a gun and knives is seen passing a security barricade as Secret Service agents rush toward him. An officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot in the vest but is expected to recover, authorities said.
Allen’s records a highly educated teacher and amateur video game developer. A social media profile of a man with the same name and a photo matching that of the suspect indicate that the suspect has been working part-time for the past six years for a company that provides admissions counseling and test preparation services to college students.
