Cole Tomas Allen, the man accused of attempting to assassinate the President at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, appeared in court today for a detention hearing. It was the first time that he had been seen publicly since Monday, when he was arraigned on three counts - including attempted assassination and two guns charges.
Allen reportedly wished the judge 'good morning' and wore a bright orange prison jumpsuit and a white undershirt as he took his seat next to his attorney with a stone-faced expression.
On Wednesday, federal prosecutors released a chilling selfie of Allen pictured in his hotel room, apparently clad with weapons, moments before he charged a security checkpoint in an alleged plot to kill Donald Trump. Prosecutors say that he took the mirror selfie in his hotel room at 8.03pm in full evening dress just minutes before he arrived at the event with a shotgun.
'He was wearing a black dress shirt, black slacks, and what appears to be a red necktie, tucked into his pants,' the court filing states. He was also wearing a 'small leather bag' filled with ammunition, a shoulder holster, a sheathed knife, pliers, and wire cutters.
Prosecutors say that after taking the selfie, Allen searched the President's schedule again at 8.13pm, then looked at live video of Trump arriving at 8.27pm, immediately before his emailed confession went out to family and friends at 8.30pm.
Video footage released Tuesday by the Washington Post also provides the clearest look yet at the opening four seconds of the confrontation, with agents firing on Allen and missing every shot. An officer draws his weapon within two seconds of Allen appearing on camera, then fires multiple times in his direction, with at least some rounds passing close to other agents as Allen runs past them.
Allen is detained at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, where politicians, media figures and celebrities had gathered for a gala. If convicted, Allen faces the possibility of life in prison. He has not yet entered a plea.
The footage, shot from a fixed angle, does not show Allen firing his weapon, though authorities have charged him with discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. No muzzle flash from his shotgun is visible as he sprints past agents.
After the video emerged, the Secret Service responded by claiming its security measures are 'rigorously tested' and 'were critical in mitigating the threat and preventing significant harm.'
Allen then moves out of frame before tripping and falling at the top of a staircase one floor above the ballroom. Inside the Washington Hilton, guests dive under tables as Secret Service agents hustle Trump and Vance out of the room.
When asked whether Allen fired the shot that hit the agent, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Monday he could not confirm it and that the forensic analysis is still ongoing. 'We want to get that right. So we're still looking at that,' he added. The officer did not suffer serious injuries because he was wearing a bulletproof vest, Blanche confirmed.
Despite missing every shot, Blanche praised the Secret Service: 'Law enforcement did not fail. They did exactly what they are trained to do.'
The Justice Department charged Allen with three felonies, including attempting to assassinate the President of the United States. If convicted, Allen faces the possibility of life in prison. Allen traveled by train from Los Angeles to Washington and checked into the Hilton Hotel hosting the dinner before it began.
Allen is also facing a second charge of transportation of a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony. The third charge is using a firearm during a crime of violence, carrying a minimum of ten years, as well as the possibility of life imprisonment if prosecutors can prove the weapon was discharged. Allen is being represented by court-appointed attorneys. He said he had no drugs in his system when asked by federal Judge Matthew J Sharpe. Allen has not yet entered a plea.
