Key takeaways:
- Cole Tomas Allen began planning the attack three weeks before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner by researching the event online and booking a hotel room at the Washington Hilton.
- On the night of April 25, Allen took a selfie armed with multiple weapons just minutes before rushing the security checkpoint with a raised shotgun.
- Allen was apprehended by Secret Service after shots were fired; he was not hit but sustained a minor knee injury and faces multiple federal charges including attempted assassination of the president.
Cole Tomas Allen, a California man, has been charged with attempted assassination of the president after allegedly opening fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner held at the Washington Hilton. Court filings released Wednesday provide a detailed timeline of Allen’s planning and actions leading up to the attack, as well as images showing him armed and dressed in black with ammunition strapped to his body.
According to prosecutors, Allen began researching the event three weeks prior, starting on April 6 by searching “white house correspondents dinner 2026” and visiting the White House Correspondents’ Association website. He booked a hotel room at the Washington Hilton for April 24-26, the venue and dates of the dinner. Over the following days, Allen continued to access articles about the event, including information about the host, CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang, and the expected attendees.
Allen traveled cross-country by Amtrak from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., with a transfer in Chicago. During the journey, he kept a running note on his phone describing scenic views, such as the southwest desert and Pennsylvania woods, while simultaneously researching the dinner and President Trump’s plans. On April 24, he arrived in D.C., checked into the Washington Hilton, and on the day of the event, April 25, he repeatedly left and returned to his hotel room.
At approximately 6:26 p.m., Allen checked the president’s schedule using a civic tracker website. At 8:03 p.m., just minutes after the event officially began, he took a selfie in his hotel room mirror wearing a black dress shirt, black slacks, and a red necktie tucked into his pants. The photo, included in the court filing, shows Allen equipped with a small leather bag, a shoulder holster, a sheathed knife, pliers, and wire cutters, items later recovered by law enforcement.
Shortly after, Allen rechecked the presidential schedule and viewed live videos of the dinner, including footage of President Trump arriving. At about 8:30 p.m., Allen’s pre-scheduled emails containing a text file titled “Apology and Explanation” were sent to family members, stating his intent to target Trump administration officials prioritized by rank.
Minutes later, Allen allegedly rushed the screening checkpoint on the terrace level of the Washington Hilton carrying a raised 12-gauge shotgun. A U.S. Secret Service officer fired five rounds at him; Allen was not hit but suffered a minor knee injury during his arrest. Prosecutors say Allen was also armed with a .38 caliber pistol, two knives, four daggers, and sufficient ammunition to cause multiple casualties.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Jones described the attack as “a planned attack of unfathomable malice that risked the lives of hundreds of people whose only transgression was attending an annual event celebrating the media and featuring the President of the United States.” He added, “It was, at its core, an anti-democratic act of political violence.”
Allen faces multiple charges, including attempted assassination of the president, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and interstate transportation of firearms with intent to commit a felony. Prosecutors are seeking pretrial detention, warning that had Allen succeeded, it would have marked “one of the darkest days in American history.” Allen’s defense attorneys have not responded to requests for comment.
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