One month after shots were fired at the press gala in Washington, the presumed assailant pleaded not guilty on Monday to attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump.
Cole Allen, 31, has been indicted on four counts, including assaulting a federal agent with a deadly weapon and attempting to assassinate the president of the United States.
On April 25, he tried to breach a security checkpoint at the entrance to the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attended by Donald Trump. Several shots were fired before Cole Allen was subdued and arrested.
According to the federal prosecutor in Washington, the investigation revealed that the suspect fired a single shot and hit an agent – who was wearing a bulletproof vest – before being shot at five times by the Secret Service, responsible for the security of high-profile American figures. He was not hit but sustained a minor knee injury in the fall.
In a manifesto sent to his family shortly before the press gala incident, the suspect also stated his intention to target “government officials in order of priority, from highest to lowest.”
This attack marks the third assassination attempt on 79-year-old President Donald Trump in less than two years. The Republican president was first targeted in July 2024 during a campaign rally where he was injured in the ear, and then again a few months later at his Florida golf course.
The next hearing in this case is scheduled for June 29, according to several media outlets.
