The suspect in White House dinner shooting incident, Cole Tomas Allen, has been charged with attempting to assassinate the US President, day after he allegedly opened fire at a Washington dinner attended by Donald Trump.
Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, could face a potential life sentence if convicted, Reuters reported.
Allen appeared before the Washington federal court on Monday (local time) following Saturday night firing incident at the White House dinner event that was attended by President Trump, vice president JD Vance and several top officials of the US administration and journalists. Allen allegedly opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, an annual black-tie gathering of journalists and politicians.
Also read: ‘It’s awful. I want to throw up’: Did Trump dinner shooting suspect regret attack?
At the hearing on Monday, prosecutor Jocelyn Ballantine said the weapons Allen brought to Washington included a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and three knives.
{{/usCountry}}At the hearing on Monday, prosecutor Jocelyn Ballantine said the weapons Allen brought to Washington included a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and three knives.
{{/usCountry}}"He attempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump," Ballantine was quoted a saying. Allen also faces charges of illegally transporting a firearm across state lines and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, US Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh was quoted as saying.
White House dinner shooting
Authorities say Allen allegedly opened fire as he tried to enter the ballroom at the Washington Hilton, where President Trump and senior officials were gathered.
Also read: ‘If I was an Iranian agent...’: Cole Tomas Allen's chilling words on ‘Ma Deuce’ before WH shooting
Surveillance footage showed him leaving his room dressed in black, carrying a shotgun, a handgun and knives in a bag. He used a stairwell to avoid security and headed toward the ballroom, where Secret Service officers stopped and tackled him.
Officials said 5 to 8 shots were fired. One officer was hit but his bulletproof vest saved him and he is expected to be okay. Trump was quickly taken away and was not hurt.
Who is Cole Tomas Allen?
As per his LinkedIn profile Allen is a game developer, engineer, scientist and teacher. 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.
Bin Tang, a computer science professor who taught Allen, told CBS News that, "He was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions. Soft spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news."
Allen's ‘manifesto’ and motive behind shooting
Authorities say they found a written manifesto in which Allen described himself as a "Friendly Federal Assassin" and criticized actions taken by the US government under President Donald Trump, though he did not name him directly.
Allen shared some of his writings with family members before the attack. A family member also told investigators that Allen had been making extreme statements for some time and often talked about doing "something" to fix problems in the world. They also said he regularly practiced at shooting ranges, according to CBS News