Prosecutors submit new evidence in Cole Tomas Allen attempted assassination case
A joint FBI and terrorism task force is reviewing evidence submitted by prosecutors to keep Cole Tomas Allen in custody pending trial.
Prosecutors have submitted a new memorandum to a US court detailing additional evidence supporting a motion to keep Cole Tomas Allen in custody pending his trial. The filing includes new images allegedly showing the suspect posing with weapons in a hotel room shortly before the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
The images, which were part of the government's submission, depict Allen in a hotel room wearing dress clothes and a shoulder holster. Prosecutors allege he was seen posing with a sheathed knife and a bag containing ammunition. The filing states that Allen took these photographs at 20:03 EST before subsequently checking websites for live coverage of the event and the President's attendance over the following half hour.
According to the new information, Allen is accused of carrying a semi-automatic handgun, a pump-action shotgun, and three knives during the incident at the Washington Hilton. Prosecutors allege that he discarded a long black coat which concealed the shotgun before rushing the security checkpoint. The government asserts that he sprinted through a metal detector holding the shotgun with both hands in a raised position.
A Secret Service agent was shot but not seriously wounded during the attack, which occurred on 25 April. Allen, a 31-year-old from Torrance in the Los Angeles area, has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted assassination, transportation of a firearm between states to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence.
The prosecution argues that Allen's actions were premeditated, violent, and calculated to cause death. This assertion is supported by an alleged email sent to his family stating that administration officials were targets prioritised from highest-ranking to lowest. The filing contends there is no condition that will reasonably assure the safety of the community if the defendant were released.
Allen faces a potential life sentence if found guilty of attempted assassination, while the other charges carry maximum sentences of 10 years each. A joint FBI and terrorism task force is leading the investigation into the motives of the suspect, who left his home on 21 April and travelled by train to Chicago before heading to Washington.
