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By Khaleda Rahman, Leonardo Feldman, Gabe Whisnant, and Jordan King
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Cole Tomas Allen appeared in federal court Monday after authorities charged him with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
The charge comes as investigators lay out evidence suggesting the attack was planned weeks in advance, renewing concerns about political violence and presidential security.
Allen, 31, now faces the possibility of life in prison as prosecutors seek to keep him jailed ahead of additional court hearings.
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According to an FBI affidavit, Allen traveled by train from California, booked a room at the Washington Hilton where the dinner was held, and was armed with a shotgun and pistol when he rushed a security barricade near the ballroom, triggering an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents that forced Trump to be rushed off the stage unharmed.
"Violence has no place in civil life," acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters Monday at a press briefing. "It cannot and will not be used to disrupt democratic institutions, and it certainly cannot continue to be used against the president of the United States."
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Cole Tomas Allen's Hearing: What to Know
Allen, of Torrance, California, made his first appearance in federal court Monday after being charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump during a shooting that disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington. Allen wore a blue jail-issued shirt and pants and was led into and out of the courtroom with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Prosecutors said Allen brought a 12‑gauge pump-action shotgun, a pistol and three knives to Washington before trying to breach a security barricade near the hotel ballroom where hundreds of journalists and guests had gathered.
"He attempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump," prosecutor Jocelyn Ballantine told the court.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ordered Allen held in custody pending further proceedings, including a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday, after prosecutors argued he posed a serious flight and public safety risk. Allen also faces charges of illegally transporting a firearm across state lines and discharging a weapon during a crime of violence, offenses that could send him to prison for life if convicted.
Allen did not address the allegations during the brief hearing, though his lawyer, Tezira Abe, said he has no prior arrests or convictions and is presumed innocent. An FBI affidavit alleges Allen planned the attack for weeks, booking a room at the Washington Hilton on April 6 and traveling cross-country by train before the dinner, which was canceled after shots were fired and Trump was rushed off the stage unharmed.
A message seeking additional comment from Abe was not immediately returned to Newsweek Monday afternoon.
Blanche, Patel, Pirro Address Cole Allen's Hearing
Blanche, joined by FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, took questions from reporters Monday following Cole Tomas Allen’s initial court appearance on attempted assassination charges. The officials addressed early reporting around Allen’s background but emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing.
Asked by Newsweek about reports that Allen had an interest in first-person shooter video games, Blanche said law enforcement is still working to establish verified facts. He noted that while media accounts have raised questions about Allen’s background, the only findings that will ultimately matter are those produced by investigators. Blanche said the FBI is among several agencies currently examining Allen’s actions and motives.
"There’s a lot of people investigating this man right now, including the FBI," Blanche said. "The only investigations that matter in the court of law are the investigations that Director Patel and his agents are doing, so we’ll wait for them and get an answer."
Blanche also declined to engage with news reports about Allen’s reported Christian beliefs, saying it would be premature to draw conclusions. He said authorities would continue to rely on evidence gathered through the federal investigation rather than speculation, adding that officials would provide more information if and when verified findings become available.
Cole Tomas Allen's Motive: What to Know
Authorities have not disclosed a motive. But investigators are reviewing a message that prosecutors say Allen sent to family members minutes before the shooting. The message, reviewed by The Associated Press, referred to the sender as a "Friendly Federal Assassin," included repeated references to the Republican president without naming him, and alluded to grievances related to a range of Trump administration actions.
Investigators are examining that message, along with social media posts and interviews with family members, as part of an effort to determine Allen’s mindset and possible motives.
"It is clear, based upon what we know so far, that this individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. "And thankfully, because of the checkpoint right outside the ballroom, where thousands of people were situated to hear the president of the United States—because that checkpoint worked, there was no one who was injured when it was clear where this defendant was going."
Cole Tomas Allen Affidavit: The Details
The affidavit lays out a more granular timeline and an evidence trail that investigators say underscores planning and intent.
According to the filing, Allen booked a room at the Washington Hilton weeks in advance, just under a month after Trump publicly confirmed he would attend the dinner. He then traveled cross-country by train from California to Washington, D.C., arriving the day before the event and checking in that afternoon.
On the night of April 25, authorities say, Allen ran through a security checkpoint "holding a long gun," and a Secret Service officer "heard a loud gunshot."
A Secret Service officer referred to as "V.G." in the affidavit was struck in the chest but protected by body armor. V.G. "drew his service weapon and fired multiple times at Allen, who fell to the ground and suffered minor injuries but was not shot." Allen was then arrested.
Investigators say Allen carried both a shotgun and a .38 caliber pistol, weapons later matched through purchase records to prior sales in California.
The affidavit also details an email Allen allegedly sent to his family members shortly before the attack, which authorities believe was prescheduled, that apologized for his actions.
It said: "I wish I could have said anything earlier, but doing so would have made none of this possible. My sincerest apologies for all the trouble I've caused."
The email also said "administration officials … are targets" and Secret Service agents are "targets only if necessary." It classed hotel security, Capitol Police and the National Guard as "not targets if at all possible (aka unless they shoot at me)."
The email added that hotel employees and guests were "not targets at all." It continued, "In order to minimize casualties I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls)."
However, the email also said, "I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary."
Cole Tomas Allen's Email to Family Before the Attack
The affidavit said Allen sent his family an email before the attack that included an attached text file titled "Apology and Explanation."
It said, in part:
Hello everybody!
So I may have given a lot of people a surprise today. Let me start off by apologizing to everyone whose trust I abused. I apologize to my parents for saying I had an interview without specifying it was for "Most Wanted."
I apologize to my colleagues and students for saying I had a personal emergency (by the time anyone reads this, I probably most certainly DO need to go to the ER, but can hardly call that not a self-inflicted status.)
I apologize to all of the people I traveled next to, all the workers who handled my luggage, and all the other non-targeted people at the hotel who I put in danger simply by being near.
I apologize to everyone who was abused and/or murdered before this, to all those who suffered before I was able to attempt this, to all who may still suffer after, regardless of my success or failure. I don't expect forgiveness, but if I could have seen any other way to get this close, I would have taken it. Again, my sincere apologies.
On to why I did any of this:
I am a citizen of the United States of America.
What my representatives do reflects on me.
And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.
(Well, to be completely honest, I was no longer willing a long time ago, but this is the first real opportunity I've had to do something about it.)
While I'm discussing this, I'll also go over my expected rules of engagement (probably in a terrible format, but I'm not military so too bad.)
Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest Secret Service: they are targets only if necessary, and to be incapacitated nonlethally if possible (aka, I hope they're wearing body armor because center mass with shotguns messes up people who *aren't*
Hotel Security: not targets if at all possible (aka unless they shoot at me)
Capitol Police: same as Hotel Security
National Guard: same as Hotel Security
Hotel Employees: not targets at all
Guests: not targets at all
In order to minimize casualties I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls)
I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary (on the basis that most people *chose to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit) but I really hope it doesn't come to that.*
Cole Allen's Alleged Weapons Arsenal Seen for First Time
The Department of Justice shared photos on X of what it said were Allen's weapons, showing two shotguns and four knives.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro showed the photos at a news briefing on Monday, saying: "These are the weapons that the defendant had on his person. You can see that's a 12-gauge pump-action Mossberg shotgun, a .38 semi-automatic. He had at least three knives and all kinds of paraphernalia."
"So any suggestion that he wasn't there to do harm is absurd," she said, adding that the guns were bought in California.
White House Warns Trump Critics Fuel Violence
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused the president's critics of "fueling this kind of violence" ahead of the hearing.
Leavitt said during Monday's press briefing, in part, "We need to recommit ourselves as a country to toning down the rhetoric. Democrats compare him to Hitler. These are despicable statements."
A search of state and federal court databases showed no indication that Allen had ever previously been charged with a crime, the Associated Press reported.
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Anti-Trump protesters were outside the courthouse ahead of the arraignment, but they told Newsweek they do not support violence and it was coincidental that they would be there at the same time as Allen.
"Our mission is to impeach, convict and remove Donald Trump. And we've been here not just today, but 24 hours a day, seven days a week, since May 1st," Peggy Murphy, who described herself as a volunteer with Accountability Now, told Newsweek.
"We do not condone violence. We're focused on peaceful, lawful freedom of speech," she said
Speaking to reporters Monday afternoon, Leavitt accused Trump's critics of "fueling this kind of violence." She pointed to comments describing the president as a "fascist" and a "threat to democracy," as well as comparing him to "Hitler."
"This hateful and constant and violent rhetoric directed at President Trump, day after day after day for 11 years has helped to legitimize this violence and bring us to this dark moment," she said.
Who Is Cole Tomas Allen?
On his LinkedIn profile, Allen described himself as a game developer, engineer, scientist and teacher.
The profile said he had worked part time for the past six years at C2 Education, which offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students. A post on C2's Facebook page listed Allen as the company's "Teacher of the Month" in December 2024. His profile said he was a mechanical engineer at IJK Controls in South Pasadena between June 2017 and September 2018.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology, according to his LinkedIn. Caltech confirmed to Newsweek that Allen graduated from the university in 2017 but had "no further information at this time."
On LinkedIn, Allen's profile said he graduated with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Bin Tang, a computer science professor at the university, told the Associated Press that Allen took several of his classes. "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," Tang said. "Soft-spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news."
In a manifesto, the alleged shooter described himself as "Friendly Federal Assassin" and railed against recent actions taken by the U.S. government under Trump, though the writer did not name the president directly.
Allen's brother notified police in New London, Connecticut, about the manifesto, which Allen shared with family members shortly before the shooting incident, a White House official told Newsweek on Sunday.
The White House official also said that, according to Allen's sister, he purchased two handguns and a shotgun from Cap Tactical Firearms and kept them stored at their parents' home—something the parents were unaware of. The sister also said, according to the official, that Allen was part of a group called the "Wide Awakes" and had attended a "No Kings" protest in California at some point.
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