Man charged with attempted assassination of Trump in White House
correspondents' dinner shooting
[April 28, 2026]
By ERIC TUCKER, MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
WASHINGTON (AP) — The man who authorities say tried to storm the White
House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives was
charged Monday with the attempted assassination of President Donald
Trump as federal authorities suggested an attack that disrupted one of
Washington's glitziest events had been planned for at least several
weeks.
Cole Tomas Allen appeared in court to face federal charges after the
chaotic encounter Saturday that resulted in shots being fired, Trump
being hurried off the stage unharmed and guests ducking for cover
underneath their tables. He was ordered to remain jailed pending
additional court hearings, and faces up to life in prison if convicted
of the assassination count alone.
An FBI affidavit filed in the case Monday revealed additional details
about the planning behind the assault, with authorities alleging that
Allen on April 6 reserved a room for himself at the Washington hotel
where the event would be held weeks later under its typical tight
security. He traveled by train cross-country from California last week,
checking himself into the Washington Hilton one day before the dinner
with a room reserved for the weekend.
The dinner had barely begun when officials say the 31-year-old Torrance,
California, man tried to race past a security barricade near the
cavernous ballroom holding hundreds of journalists and their guests,
prompting an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents tasked with
safeguarding the event. Allen carried with him a 12-gauge pump action
shotgun he bought last year and a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol he
purchased in 2023, authorities said.
“Violence has no place in civic life," acting Attorney General Todd
Blanche said at a news conference. "It cannot and will not be used to
disrupt democratic institutions or intimidate those who serve them, and
it certainly cannot continue to be used against the president of the
United States.”
He added: “We are investigating this matter fully, we will apply the law
fairly and we will ensure that accountability is swift and certain."
Allen was injured during the attack but was not shot. A Secret Service
officer was shot but was wearing a bullet-resistant vest and survived,
officials say.
Questions remain about how many shots Allen fired and how many officers
discharged their weapons.
Blanche said investigators believe that a Secret Service agent fired
five shots and that Allen discharged his shotgun at least once. But
Blanche didn’t say whether authorities have confirmed it was Allen’s
bullet that struck the agent in the vest, or whether any other officers
used their weapons. Blanche said ballistics experts are still examining
evidence to provide more clarity on those questions.
The Justice Department charged Allen with two additional firearms
counts, including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence, but
the affidavit does not allege that Allen was responsible for shooting
the agent.
Suspect's email sheds light on motive
The shooting resulted in the cancellation of the dinner, the first Trump
had attended as president.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said the night
was supposed to be one of joy but instead was “hijacked by a crazed
anti-Trump individual who traveled across the country to assassinate the
president and as many administration officials as possible.”
Allen invoked his constitutional right to remain silent after his
arrest, but authorities say an email he sent to family members and a
former employer just before the attack helps shed light on a motive.
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Attendees and hotel workers evacuate after an incident at the
Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents Dinner,
Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In the message, a copy of which was included in the affidavit, Allen
referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin" and alluded
obliquely to grievances over a range of Trump administration
actions. The rambling text moves between confession, grievance and
farewell, with Allen apologizing to family members, co-workers and
even strangers he feared could be caught in the violence while at
the same time seeking to explain the attack.
A magistrate judge granted a prosecutor's request to keep Allen
locked up pending additional hearings. A detention hearing is set
for Thursday.
Allen did not speak at length during the quick appearance, as is
customary. One of his lawyers, Tezira Abe, noted that he has no
criminal record.
“He also is presumed innocent at this time," she said.
Records reveal that Allen is a highly educated tutor and amateur
video game developer. A social media profile for a man with the same
name and a photo that appears to match that of the suspect show he
worked part-time for the last six years at a company that offers
admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring
college students.
Voter registration records from California lists Allen’s home
address as his parent’s house on a tree-lined street in one of the
most historic neighborhoods in Torrance, a city within the Los
Angeles metro area. No one answered the door Sunday when an
Associated Press reporter knocked. By the afternoon, several people
who appeared to be law enforcement agents were canvassing the
neighborhood, with one wearing an FBI sweatshirt.
A yard sign displayed at the family home supported a local candidate
for judge who was endorsed by the Los Angeles County Democratic
Party. Federal campaign finance records show Cole Allen contributed
$25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of
Kamala Harris for president in 2024 and listed his employer as C2
Education, which said in a statement Monday that it was shocked to
learn of the shooting and was cooperating with law enforcement.
Allen is registered to vote without a party affiliation in
California and voted in the last three general elections, according
to the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from
the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, according to his
profile on the social networking site LinkedIn. The small university
is academically prestigious with a very low acceptance rate. He also
listed his involvement there in a campus group that battled with
Nerf guns and a Christian student fellowship.
Allen’s profile photo on LinkedIn shows him wearing a cap and gown
when graduating with a master’s degree in computer science from
California State University, Dominguez Hills. The photo appears to
have been taken May 2025.
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Associated Press writers Gary Fields and Collin Binkley in
Washington, Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles and Amy Taxin in
Torrance, California contributed to this report.
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