Read the full article on KETV 7
Cole Allen is now charged with an attempt to assassinate the president after authorities say he tried to storm the correspondents’ dinner and shoot as many Trump administration officials as possible. According to court documents, Allen reserved his room earlier in the month at the Washington Hilton, where the event was being held. Now officials say he then traveled across the country by train from California last week and arrived in DC the day before the dinner. Now moments before the attack, the affidavit. Allen sent an email to his family and *** former employer explaining what he was about to do. Then minutes later, officials say the 31-year-old sprinted past security armed with two guns and knives. *** Secret Service agent was shot in his bulletproof vest and is OK. Now Allen was never shot but fell to the ground and was later arrested before reaching the ballroom where more than 2000 people were sitting, including the president and much of his cabinet. Make no mistake. This was an attempted assassination of the President of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was, and that intent was to bring down as many of the high ranking cabinet officials as he could. Allen is facing two additional firearm related charges. He is scheduled to be back in court on Thursday for *** detention hearing at the White House. I’m Rachel Hirsheimer.
Advertisement
Suspect charged with attempted assassination of President Trump at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Cole Allen faces charges after allegedly attempting to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner armed with weapons, aiming to target President Trump and his administration.
Cole Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump after authorities say he tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ dinner armed with guns and knives. According to court documents, Allen reserved a room earlier in the month at the Washington Hilton, where the event was held. Officials said he traveled across the country by train from California last week, arriving in Washington, D.C., the day before the dinner. Moments before the attack, the affidavit claims Allen sent an email to his family and a former employer explaining his intentions. Minutes later, authorities said the 31-year-old sprinted past security armed with two guns and knives. A Secret Service agent was shot in his bulletproof vest during the incident but was unharmed. It’s unclear if Allen shot the agent or if he was shot by friendly fire. There are questions about how many shots were fired. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said investigators believe that a Secret Service agent fired five shots and that Allen discharged his shotgun at least once.”Law enforcement did not fail. They did exactly what they are trained to do,” Blanche said. “The men and women who protected us that night were trained, professional, and had an enduring commitment to the rule of law.”Allen was not shot but fell to the ground and was arrested before reaching the ballroom, where more than 2,000 people, including the president and much of his cabinet, were seated. “Make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the president of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was, and that intent was to bring down as many of the high-ranking cabinet officials as he could,” said Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Allen is also facing two additional firearm-related charges, including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday for a detention hearing.Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:
Cole Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump after authorities say he tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ dinner armed with guns and knives.
According to court documents, Allen reserved a room earlier in the month at the Washington Hilton, where the event was held. Officials said he traveled across the country by train from California last week, arriving in Washington, D.C., the day before the dinner.
Advertisement
Moments before the attack, the affidavit claims Allen sent an email to his family and a former employer explaining his intentions. Minutes later, authorities said the 31-year-old sprinted past security armed with two guns and knives.
A Secret Service agent was shot in his bulletproof vest during the incident but was unharmed. It’s unclear if Allen shot the agent or if he was shot by friendly fire. There are questions about how many shots were fired.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said investigators believe that a Secret Service agent fired five shots and that Allen discharged his shotgun at least once.
“Law enforcement did not fail. They did exactly what they are trained to do,” Blanche said. “The men and women who protected us that night were trained, professional, and had an enduring commitment to the rule of law.”
Allen was not shot but fell to the ground and was arrested before reaching the ballroom, where more than 2,000 people, including the president and much of his cabinet, were seated.
“Make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the president of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was, and that intent was to bring down as many of the high-ranking cabinet officials as he could,” said Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Allen is also facing two additional firearm-related charges, including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday for a detention hearing.
Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:
