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Cole Tomas Allen's chilling hotel selfie before WHCD emerges; officials note suspect's ‘smirk’
A newly revealed selfie allegedly shows the suspect armed just minutes before the attempted attack at a White House Correspondent's Dinner.
Chilling new evidence has emerged in the case against Cole Tomas Allen, man who allegedly opened fire at the White House Correspondent's dinner.
According to a government memo submitted on Wednesday, Cole Allen who is 31 snapped a selfie in his Washington Hilton hotel room at around 8:03pm local time on Saturday night, which is less than 30 minutes before he allegedly attempted to shoot the ballroom where President Donald Trump and senior government officials were gathered.
The image shows Allen smirking at the mirror while visibly armed with a sheathed knife, a shoulder holster, pliers, wire cutters and a small leather bag described in the document as “consistent in appearance”, the same bag which he had when he was caught, as per TMZ.
The photo was submitted into evidence to support the government's motion for Allen to remain in custody while awaiting trial.
What happened that night?
Authorities say Allen left his hotel room dressed in black, carrying a shotgun, a handgun and knives in a bag. Surveillance footage captured him using a stairwell to avoid security as he made his way toward the ballroom where the event was being held. He was stopped and tackled by Secret Service officers before he could get inside.
Officials said between five and eight shots were fired during the incident. President Trump was quickly removed from the scene and was not hurt.
Who is Cole Toman Allen?
According to his LinkedIn profile, he describes himself as a game developer, engineer, scientist and teacher, as per Newsweek.
He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 and later completed a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2025.
Allen is now charged by complaint with one count of attempt to assassinate the President of the United States, transportation of a firearm & ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, the US Department of Justice confirmed.
