The man who stormed a White House Correspondents' Association dinner and opened fire has been charged with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, along with two additional weapons charges. The suspect, Cole Thomas Allen (31 years old), faces life in prison if convicted, while the White House confirmed that he was planning to target senior officials.

Published on: 04/27/2026 - 21:18

Judicial authorities in the United States announced on Monday that the gunman who attempted to storm the White House Correspondents' Association dinner was charged with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, along with two additional charges related to the possession and use of weapons.

Cole Thomas Allen (31 years old) faces a sentence that could reach life in prison if he is convicted of attempting to assassinate the president during the dinner party held on Saturday evening in a Washington hotel.

The White House considered on Sunday that Allen was planning to target Trump and a number of senior officials in his administration during the annual ceremony held in the American capital on Saturday evening.

Read also: The shooting during the White House Correspondents' Dinner raises questions about the US President's security arrangements

Following the attack, members of the Secret Service charged with protecting prominent figures quickly intervened to remove Trump, his wife Melania, and his deputy, Guy De Vance, from the hall, amid a state of chaos that spread throughout the place.

The attacker opened fire on the security personnel who controlled him before he could enter the hall.

Footage from surveillance cameras that Trump himself posted on his network, Truth Social, showed the attacker rushing and storming a security checkpoint at the entrance to the hall where the dinner party was being held, while a number of security personnel quickly brandished their weapons.

Read also: What do we know about the perpetrator of the shooting during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?

The police reported that the shooter was carrying a hunting rifle, a pistol, and a number of knives, and he opened fire on a security officer, but his bullet-proof vest protected him from injury. The attacker was also not injured.

The incident caused confusion during this annual party that brings together politics and the media, and hundreds of invitees were forced to lie on the ground between the tables in the spacious ballroom at the Hilton Hotel.

The president said in an interview broadcast on CBS on the "Sixty Minutes" program (60 Minutes), "I did not feel worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world."

Trump told Fox News on Sunday that the attacker, whom he described as a "very deranged" person, wrote a statement that was "strongly anti-Christian," while several American media outlets reported a text that they said he had sent privately to his family, in which he stated that he would target officials "from the highest to the lowest rank."

France 24/AFP

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