Cole Allen, the man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump, took a selfie in his hotel room moments before the attack was carried out, US prosecutors said Wednesday. Details of Allen's alleged preparations were published in a filing asking a federal court in Washington to deny his release on bail.

Published on: 04/30/2026 - 10:25

Prosecutors in the United States revealed on Wednesday that the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump planned the operation from the hotel from which he left.

Prosecutors said Cole Allen launched his attack shortly after 8:30 p.m. Saturday, after he came down from his room at the Hilton Hotel in Washington and tried to enter the hall downstairs where Trump and other senior officials were participating in a media dinner.

The 31-year-old man was brought under control after a chaotic altercation with security guards. Shots were fired, but no one was killed.

According to prosecutors, Allen spent the last minutes before carrying out the attack checking websites that covered Trump's whereabouts, arming himself, and taking a selfie with his cell phone in front of the mirror in his room.

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

"Unimaginable malice"

A copy of the photo shows him wearing black clothing, a red tie, and carrying a knife, a shoulder holster for a gun, and what authorities said was an ammunition bag.

Once he left his room, scheduled emails were sent to friends and family containing a statement explaining his actions.

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Details of Allen's alleged preparations for what prosecutors described as an attack with "unimaginable malice" were published in a filing asking a federal court in Washington to deny him bail.

“The court must detain the accused pending trial,” the request stated, adding that “the political nature of the accused’s crimes further supports his detention because his motive to commit crimes exists as long as he disagrees” with the government.

Read also: A wave of online misinformation fuels the conspiracy theory about the Trump assassination attempt

"Security laxity"

He made the trip to Washington, carrying an arsenal that included a rifle, a handgun and a large number of knives, via a popular scenic train route through Chicago, prosecutors said.

Once inside his room at the Hilton, he wrote of his astonishment at what he saw as lax security at the hotel, saying he entered “with multiple weapons and no one there thought I might be a threat.”

In the email to friends and family, he said he would target officials “from the highest to the lowest.” He added that he hoped he would not kill members of the Secret Service or other law enforcement agents or hotel guests.

According to the court filing, Cole ditched his long coat once he arrived at the hotel entrance area and sped through a set of metal detectors, his gun at the ready.

Cole fired the gun "in the direction of the stairs leading to the hall" where the dinner was being held. A Secret Service agent then fired five times, but did not hit Cole, who fell to the ground and was then restrained.

France 24/AFP

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