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WASHINGTON (AP) — A man facing charges for attempting to breach the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner armed with guns and knives, with the alleged intent to harm President Donald Trump, has agreed to remain in custody while awaiting trial.
During a brief court session, Cole Thomas Allen appeared before U.S. Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya but did not enter a plea.
According to prosecutors, Allen meticulously planned his attack over several weeks, monitoring Trump’s whereabouts online. The incident occurred when Allen reportedly bypassed a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night during one of the capital’s most prominent annual events, brandishing a long gun.
The altercation resulted in injuries to Allen, though he was not shot. Officials reported that a Secret Service officer was struck but survived thanks to a bullet-resistant vest. Prosecutors claim Allen discharged his shotgun at least once, while a Secret Service agent responded with five shots. However, they have yet to verify publicly whether Allen’s bullet was the one that hit the officer’s vest.
Allen’s defense team, in a letter to prosecutors on Wednesday, suggested that some comments from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche hint at inconsistencies in the ballistic evidence compared to the government’s narrative, the evidence collected, and witness statements.
The Justice Department, in response, said the evidence shows Allen fired his shotgun at least once in the Secret Service agent’s direction. Investigators recovered at least one fragment at the crime scene that is consistent with a buckshot pellet, prosecutors wrote.
“The government is aware of no physical evidence, digital video evidence, or witness statements that are inconsistent with the theory that your client fired his shotgun in the direction” of the officer or that the officer “was indeed shot once in the chest while wearing a ballistic vest,” prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors said in court papers that Allen took a picture of himself in his hotel room just minutes before the incident, and that he was outfitted with an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife. In a message that authorities say sheds light on his motive, Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and alluded obliquely to grievances over a range of Trump administration actions, according to writings sent to family members shortly before shots were fired Saturday night. The Associated Press reviewed the writings.
Allen’s lawyers are pressing for his release, arguing in court papers that the government’s case is “based upon inferences drawn about Mr. Allen’s intent that raise more questions than answers.” They defense noted that Allen’s writings never mentioned Trump by name.
“The government’s evidence of the charged offense –- the attempted assassination of the president –- is thus built entirely upon speculation, even under the most generous reading of its theory,” defense lawyers wrote.
Allen was charged on Monday with that crime, as well as two additional firearms counts, including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the assassination count alone.
Allen, 31, is from Torrance, California. He is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.