Cole Thomas Allen, the suspect in the shooting which took place during the White House Correspondents' Dinner in the presence of Donald Trump in Washington, was indicted on Monday for attempted assassination of the American president.

Published on: 04/27/2026 - 8:26 p.m. Modified on: 04/27/2026 - 9:30 p.m.

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A federal court in Washington on Monday, April 27, charged the man suspected of opening fire during an annual press gala attended by Donald Trump with attempted assassination of the American president and two weapons offenses.

Cole Allen, 31, faces a life sentence if convicted of attempting to kill Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday April 25 in Washington.

Allen, a native of Torrance, near Los Angeles, California, did not specify how he planned to plead during this hearing. He was kept in detention pending a further appearance.

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Prosecutors told the court that Allen was in possession of a shotgun, a semi-automatic pistol and three knives when he attempted to break through security at the Hilton Hotel, where the event was held.

Several shots were fired before the suspected shooter was subdued at a checkpoint at the entrance to the room where the dinner was taking place. He did not approach the president or other guests.

Members of the administration presented this attack as the third assassination attempt against Donald Trump, 79, in less than two years.

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During scenes of chaos on Saturday evening, Secret Service agents, responsible for the security of high-ranking personalities, evacuated Donald Trump, as well as his wife Melania Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance, after the assailant's shots.

Security camera images broadcast by Donald Trump himself on his Truth Social network showed a person rushing through the metal detection gate located at the entrance to the room where the gala was held, and several members of the police drawing their weapons.

The shootings disrupted the annual dinner of the elite of Washington politics and media: the hundreds of guests in tuxedos and long dresses had to lie down on the floor between the white-tablecloth tables of the huge ballroom of the Hilton hotel.

“I wasn’t worried,” the Republican president boasted Sunday during the CBS show “60 Minutes.” "I know life. We live in a crazy world."

“Anti-Christian” manifesto

“This is not the first time in recent years that our Republic has been attacked by a potential assassin who sought to kill,” he reacted on Saturday evening, still in a tuxedo, during a press conference given at the White House.

Donald Trump also said on Fox News on Sunday that the suspect, a "visibly very disturbed" person, had written a "very anti-Christian" text. Several American media outlets echoed a manifesto sent in particular to his family.

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Reactions from world leaders poured in, saying they were "shocked" and providing "support" for Donald Trump, while condemning political violence.

Among them, King Charles III, who arrived in the United States on Monday for a state visit, said he was "relieved" that Donald Trump was safe.

Donald Trump was targeted by an assassination attempt in July 2024 during a campaign meeting where he was injured in the ear, as well as a few months later on his golf course in Florida.

It was in front of the same Hilton Hotel in Washington that President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in 1981 during an assassination attempt.

With AFP

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