New evidence presented by the US government shows Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting, posing with multiple weapons in his hotel room prior to the April 25th incident. The photos, submitted as part of a motion to keep Allen detained, depict him with a sheathed knife and ammunition.
Prosecutors allege Allen carried a semi-automatic handgun, a pump-action shotgun, and three knives when he allegedly rushed a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton. Vice President JD Vance and other officials were evacuated during the event, where a Secret Service agent sustained a non-life-threatening injury.
The 31-year-old has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump. Government filings state Allen spent about 30 minutes checking websites for live coverage of the dinner and the president's attendance before making his way to the ballroom. He is accused of discarding a coat that concealed the shotgun before advancing through a metal detector.
Prosecutors are seeking to keep Allen in custody, citing his alleged actions as "premeditated, violent, and calculated to cause death." He faces potential life imprisonment if convicted. Allen reportedly traveled from Torrance, California, to Washington D.C. by train, sending an email to his family stating that "Administration officials... are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest."