트럼프 암살 시도 혐의로 기소된 백악관 특파원 만찬 총격 용의자
Man charged with attempted assassination of Trump in White House correspondents' dinner shooting
Associated Press
· 🇺🇸 New York, US
https://apnews.com/author/eric-tucker
EN
2026-04-28 10:10
Translated
도널드 트럼프 대통령은 백악관 특파원 협회의 연례 만찬에서 총과 칼로 무장한 남성이 로비에 난입해 총을 발사한 후 피해를 입지 않았으며, 다른 고위 백악관 관계자들은 대피했다. 총격 용의자는 체포되어 캘리포니아 토렌스 거주 31세 콜 토마스 앨런으로 확인되었다. 동기는 즉시 알려지지 않았다.
백악관 특파원 협회 만찬에 총과 칼을 가지고 난입하려던 남성으로 알려진 용의자가 월요일 도널드 트럼프 대통령 암살 시도 혐의로 기소되었다.
연방 수사국의 선서 진술서에 따르면, 앨런은 4월 6일 몇 주 후에 개최될 행사가 있을 워싱턴 호텔에 자신을 위해 객실을 예약했다. 그는 지난주 캘리포니아에서 기차로 전국을 횡단하여 만찬 전날 워싱턴 힐튼에 체크인했다.
만찬이 시작되자 31세의 토렌스 캘리포니아 주민이 기자 수백 명과 그들의 손님들이 있는 광활한 연회장 근처의 보안 바리케이드를 지나가려다 행사를 보호하기 위해 배치된 비밀경호국 요원들과 총격을 주고받았다. 앨런은 작년에 구입한 12게이지 펌프식 샷건과 2023년에 구입한 .38구경 반자동 권총을 소지하고 있었다.
대리 법무부 장관 토드 블란체는 기자회견에서 "폭력은 시민 생활에 자리가 없다"며 "민주 제도를 방해하거나 그 제도에 종사하는 사람들을 위협하는 데 사용될 수 없으며, 특히 미국 대통령을 대상으로 계속 사용될 수 없다"고 말했다.
앨런은 공격 중에 부상을 입었지만 총에 맞지는 않았다. 비밀경호국 요원이 총에 맞았지만 방탄복을 입고 있었고 생존했다고 관계자들은 말했다.
블란체는 수사관들이 비밀경호국 요원이 5발을 발사했고 앨런이 적어도 한 번은 샷건을 발사했다고 생각한다고 말했다. 그러나 블란체는 당국이 앨런의 총알이 조끼를 입은 요원에게 맞은 것인지, 또는 다른 요원들이 무기를 사용했는지 확인했는지는 언급하지 않았다. 블란체는 탄도학 전문가들이 이러한 질문들에 더 명확한 답변을 제공하기 위해 증거를 계속 검토 중이라고 말했다.
사법부는 앨런을 범죄 행위 중 무기 발사를 포함한 두 가지 추가 총기 혐의로 기소했지만, 선서 진술서에서는 앨런이 요원에게 총을 쏜 책임이 있다고 주장하지 않는다.
총격으로 인해 만찬이 취소되었으며, 이는 트럼프 대통령이 현직 대통령으로서 참석한 첫 번째 만찬이었다.
백악관 대변인 캐롤린 레빗은 월요일 그 밤이 기쁨의 밤이 되어야 했지만 "전국을 여행하여 대통령과 가능한 한 많은 행정부 관계자들을 암살하려는 편집증적인 반트럼프 인물에 의해 납치되었다"고 말했다.
앨런은 체포 후 침묵할 헌법적 권리를 행사했지만, 당국은 공격 직전에 그가 가족 구성원과 전직 고용주에게 보낸 이메일이 동기를 밝히는 데 도움이 된다고 말한다.
선서 진술서에 포함된 메시지 사본에서 앨런은 자신을 "우호적인 연방 암살자"라고 지칭했으며 트럼프 행정부 행동의 범위에 대한 불만을 우회적으로 암시했다. 엉뚱한 텍스트는 고백, 불만, 이별 사이를 이동하며, 앨런은 가족 구성원, 동료, 심지어 폭력에 휘말릴 수 있을 것으로 우려되는 낯선 사람들에게 사과하면서 동시에 공격을 설명하려고 한다.
판사보위는 피고인의 추가 심리 대기 중 석방 불허 요청을 승인했다. 보석 심리는 목요일에 예정되어 있다.
앨런은 관례적으로 신속한 출석 중에 길게 말하지 않았다. 그의 변호인 중 한 명인 테지라 아베는 그가 범죄 기록이 없다고 지적했다.
"그도 현재 무죄로 추정된다"고 그녀는 말했다.
기록에 따르면 앨런은 교양 있는 튜터이자 아마추어 비디오 게임 개발자이다. 같은 이름과 용의자와 일치하는 것으로 보이는 사진이 있는 소셜 미디어 프로필은 그가 지난 6년 동안 예비 대학생들에게 입학 상담 및 시험 준비 서비스를 제공하는 회사에서 시간제로 일했음을 보여준다.
캘리포니아의 유권자 등록 기록에는 앨런의 집 주소가 로스앤젤레스 메트로 지역 내 도시인 토렌스의 역사적인 동네 중 하나에 있는 부모의 집으로 나열되어 있다. 일요일 AP 기자가 문을 두드렸을 때 아무도 응답하지 않았다. 오후가 되자 법집행 요원으로 보이는 여러 사람이 이웃을 다니고 있었고, 한 명은 FBI 스웨트셔츠를 입고 있었다.
가족 집에 표시된 마당 표지판은 로스앤젤레스 카운티 민주당이 지지한 판사 지방 선거 후보를 지지했다. 연방 선거 자금 기록에 따르면 콜 앨런은 2024년 카말라 해리스 대통령 후보 지지를 위해 민주당 정치 행동 위원회에 25달러를 기부했고 고용주를 C2 교육으로 명시했으며, C2 교육은 월요일 성명에서 총격 사건을 알게 되어 충격을 받았으며 법집행 기관에 협력하고 있다고 말했다.
앨런은 캘리포니아에서 정당 제휴 없이 유권자로 등록되어 있으며 지난 3번의 일반 선거에서 투표했다고 로스앤젤레스 카운티 유권자 등록 담당자는 말했다.
그는 2017년 파사디나의 캘리포니아 공과대학교에서 기계 공학 학사 학위를 받았으며, 그의 소셜 네트워킹 사이트 LinkedIn의 프로필에 따르면 네프 총으로 싸우는 캠퍼스 그룹과 기독교 학생 펠로우십에 참여했다. 이 소규모 대학은 학문적으로 명망이 높으며 합격률이 매우 낮다.
그의 LinkedIn의 프로필 사진은 캘리포니아 주립 대학 도미네즈 힐스에서 컴퓨터 과학 석사 학위를 받은 졸업할 때 모자와 가운을 입고 있는 그를 보여준다. 사진은 2025년 5월에 촬영된 것으로 보인다.
AP 통신 기자들 게리 필즈와 콜린 빙클리는 워싱턴에서, 마이클 R. 블러드는 로스앤젤레스에서, 에이미 텍신은 캘리포니아 토렌스에서 이 보도에 기여했다.
백악관 특파원 협회 만찬에 총과 칼을 가지고 난입하려던 남성으로 알려진 용의자가 월요일 도널드 트럼프 대통령 암살 시도 혐의로 기소되었다.
연방 수사국의 선서 진술서에 따르면, 앨런은 4월 6일 몇 주 후에 개최될 행사가 있을 워싱턴 호텔에 자신을 위해 객실을 예약했다. 그는 지난주 캘리포니아에서 기차로 전국을 횡단하여 만찬 전날 워싱턴 힐튼에 체크인했다.
만찬이 시작되자 31세의 토렌스 캘리포니아 주민이 기자 수백 명과 그들의 손님들이 있는 광활한 연회장 근처의 보안 바리케이드를 지나가려다 행사를 보호하기 위해 배치된 비밀경호국 요원들과 총격을 주고받았다. 앨런은 작년에 구입한 12게이지 펌프식 샷건과 2023년에 구입한 .38구경 반자동 권총을 소지하고 있었다.
대리 법무부 장관 토드 블란체는 기자회견에서 "폭력은 시민 생활에 자리가 없다"며 "민주 제도를 방해하거나 그 제도에 종사하는 사람들을 위협하는 데 사용될 수 없으며, 특히 미국 대통령을 대상으로 계속 사용될 수 없다"고 말했다.
앨런은 공격 중에 부상을 입었지만 총에 맞지는 않았다. 비밀경호국 요원이 총에 맞았지만 방탄복을 입고 있었고 생존했다고 관계자들은 말했다.
블란체는 수사관들이 비밀경호국 요원이 5발을 발사했고 앨런이 적어도 한 번은 샷건을 발사했다고 생각한다고 말했다. 그러나 블란체는 당국이 앨런의 총알이 조끼를 입은 요원에게 맞은 것인지, 또는 다른 요원들이 무기를 사용했는지 확인했는지는 언급하지 않았다. 블란체는 탄도학 전문가들이 이러한 질문들에 더 명확한 답변을 제공하기 위해 증거를 계속 검토 중이라고 말했다.
사법부는 앨런을 범죄 행위 중 무기 발사를 포함한 두 가지 추가 총기 혐의로 기소했지만, 선서 진술서에서는 앨런이 요원에게 총을 쏜 책임이 있다고 주장하지 않는다.
총격으로 인해 만찬이 취소되었으며, 이는 트럼프 대통령이 현직 대통령으로서 참석한 첫 번째 만찬이었다.
백악관 대변인 캐롤린 레빗은 월요일 그 밤이 기쁨의 밤이 되어야 했지만 "전국을 여행하여 대통령과 가능한 한 많은 행정부 관계자들을 암살하려는 편집증적인 반트럼프 인물에 의해 납치되었다"고 말했다.
앨런은 체포 후 침묵할 헌법적 권리를 행사했지만, 당국은 공격 직전에 그가 가족 구성원과 전직 고용주에게 보낸 이메일이 동기를 밝히는 데 도움이 된다고 말한다.
선서 진술서에 포함된 메시지 사본에서 앨런은 자신을 "우호적인 연방 암살자"라고 지칭했으며 트럼프 행정부 행동의 범위에 대한 불만을 우회적으로 암시했다. 엉뚱한 텍스트는 고백, 불만, 이별 사이를 이동하며, 앨런은 가족 구성원, 동료, 심지어 폭력에 휘말릴 수 있을 것으로 우려되는 낯선 사람들에게 사과하면서 동시에 공격을 설명하려고 한다.
판사보위는 피고인의 추가 심리 대기 중 석방 불허 요청을 승인했다. 보석 심리는 목요일에 예정되어 있다.
앨런은 관례적으로 신속한 출석 중에 길게 말하지 않았다. 그의 변호인 중 한 명인 테지라 아베는 그가 범죄 기록이 없다고 지적했다.
"그도 현재 무죄로 추정된다"고 그녀는 말했다.
기록에 따르면 앨런은 교양 있는 튜터이자 아마추어 비디오 게임 개발자이다. 같은 이름과 용의자와 일치하는 것으로 보이는 사진이 있는 소셜 미디어 프로필은 그가 지난 6년 동안 예비 대학생들에게 입학 상담 및 시험 준비 서비스를 제공하는 회사에서 시간제로 일했음을 보여준다.
캘리포니아의 유권자 등록 기록에는 앨런의 집 주소가 로스앤젤레스 메트로 지역 내 도시인 토렌스의 역사적인 동네 중 하나에 있는 부모의 집으로 나열되어 있다. 일요일 AP 기자가 문을 두드렸을 때 아무도 응답하지 않았다. 오후가 되자 법집행 요원으로 보이는 여러 사람이 이웃을 다니고 있었고, 한 명은 FBI 스웨트셔츠를 입고 있었다.
가족 집에 표시된 마당 표지판은 로스앤젤레스 카운티 민주당이 지지한 판사 지방 선거 후보를 지지했다. 연방 선거 자금 기록에 따르면 콜 앨런은 2024년 카말라 해리스 대통령 후보 지지를 위해 민주당 정치 행동 위원회에 25달러를 기부했고 고용주를 C2 교육으로 명시했으며, C2 교육은 월요일 성명에서 총격 사건을 알게 되어 충격을 받았으며 법집행 기관에 협력하고 있다고 말했다.
앨런은 캘리포니아에서 정당 제휴 없이 유권자로 등록되어 있으며 지난 3번의 일반 선거에서 투표했다고 로스앤젤레스 카운티 유권자 등록 담당자는 말했다.
그는 2017년 파사디나의 캘리포니아 공과대학교에서 기계 공학 학사 학위를 받았으며, 그의 소셜 네트워킹 사이트 LinkedIn의 프로필에 따르면 네프 총으로 싸우는 캠퍼스 그룹과 기독교 학생 펠로우십에 참여했다. 이 소규모 대학은 학문적으로 명망이 높으며 합격률이 매우 낮다.
그의 LinkedIn의 프로필 사진은 캘리포니아 주립 대학 도미네즈 힐스에서 컴퓨터 과학 석사 학위를 받은 졸업할 때 모자와 가운을 입고 있는 그를 보여준다. 사진은 2025년 5월에 촬영된 것으로 보인다.
AP 통신 기자들 게리 필즈와 콜린 빙클리는 워싱턴에서, 마이클 R. 블러드는 로스앤젤레스에서, 에이미 텍신은 캘리포니아 토렌스에서 이 보도에 기여했다.
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President Donald Trump was unharmed and other top White House officials were evacuated from an annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association after a man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby and opened fire. The shooting suspect was taken into custody and identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California. A motive was not immediately known. (Produced by Luke Garratt)
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.
This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, left, the California man arrested in the shooting incident at the correspondents dinner in Washington, seen appearing before Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh, in federal court, Monday, April 27, 2026 in Washington. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, left, and FBI Director Kash Patel, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, on Monday April 27, 2026, in Washington, following the initial appearance in federal court of the suspected White House Correspondents Dinner gunman, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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)
Members of law enforcement control shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Pedestrians walk past the home, middle back, connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting, as members of the media stage, in Torrance, Calif., Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
President Donald Trump was unharmed and other top White House officials were evacuated from an annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association after a man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby and opened fire. The shooting suspect was taken into custody and identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California. A motive was not immediately known. (Produced by Luke Garratt)
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.
This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, left, the California man arrested in the shooting incident at the correspondents dinner in Washington, seen appearing before Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh, in federal court, Monday, April 27, 2026 in Washington. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)
This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, left, the California man arrested in the shooting incident at the correspondents dinner in Washington, seen appearing before Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh, in federal court, Monday, April 27, 2026 in Washington. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, left, and FBI Director Kash Patel, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, on Monday April 27, 2026, in Washington, following the initial appearance in federal court of the suspected White House Correspondents Dinner gunman, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, left, and FBI Director Kash Patel, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, on Monday April 27, 2026, in Washington, following the initial appearance in federal court of the suspected White House Correspondents Dinner gunman, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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)
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)
Members of law enforcement control shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Members of law enforcement control shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Pedestrians walk past the home, middle back, connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting, as members of the media stage, in Torrance, Calif., Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Pedestrians walk past the home, middle back, connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting, as members of the media stage, in Torrance, Calif., Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, left, the California man arrested in the shooting incident at the correspondents dinner in Washington, seen appearing before Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh, in federal court, Monday, April 27, 2026 in Washington. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, left, and FBI Director Kash Patel, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, on Monday April 27, 2026, in Washington, following the initial appearance in federal court of the suspected White House Correspondents Dinner gunman, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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)
Members of law enforcement control shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Pedestrians walk past the home, middle back, connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting, as members of the media stage, in Torrance, Calif., Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
President Donald Trump was unharmed and other top White House officials were evacuated from an annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association after a man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby and opened fire. The shooting suspect was taken into custody and identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California. A motive was not immediately known. (Produced by Luke Garratt)
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.
This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, left, the California man arrested in the shooting incident at the correspondents dinner in Washington, seen appearing before Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh, in federal court, Monday, April 27, 2026 in Washington. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)
This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, left, the California man arrested in the shooting incident at the correspondents dinner in Washington, seen appearing before Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh, in federal court, Monday, April 27, 2026 in Washington. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, left, and FBI Director Kash Patel, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, on Monday April 27, 2026, in Washington, following the initial appearance in federal court of the suspected White House Correspondents Dinner gunman, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, left, and FBI Director Kash Patel, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, on Monday April 27, 2026, in Washington, following the initial appearance in federal court of the suspected White House Correspondents Dinner gunman, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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)
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)
Members of law enforcement control shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Members of law enforcement control shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Pedestrians walk past the home, middle back, connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting, as members of the media stage, in Torrance, Calif., Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Pedestrians walk past the home, middle back, connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting, as members of the media stage, in Torrance, Calif., Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
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.
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.
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.
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.