In a federal courtroom in Washington this morning,31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen entered anot guiltyplea to charges stemming from the April 25 shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner.The plea sets the stage for a high-profile trial that could determine whether Allen faces life in prison for what authorities describe as an attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.

Allen was tackled by Secret Service after gunfire erupted just outside the ballroom packed with roughly 2,600 attendees - including the President, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and numerous Cabinet officials and journalists.

Around 8:36 p.m. EDT, as dinner service was underway,Allen - armed with a 12-gauge Maverick shotgun, an Armscor Precision .38 semi-automatic pistol, and multiple knives - rushed past a security checkpoint on an upper level of the hotel.He fired at least one shot (reports indicate possible additional rounds) in the direction of law enforcement before being tackled by Secret Service agents and other officers.

One Secret Service agent was struck in his bulletproof vest by buckshot; he was treated and released from the hospital. Allen sustained a knee injury after tripping during the confrontation but was not shot. No bystanders or attendees were injured or killed. President Trump was quickly surrounded by agents and evacuated - 10 seconds after JD Vance, and the dinner was halted and later rescheduled.

Surveillance footage captured the rapid sequence: Allen sprinting with weapons visible, the sound of gunfire, and swift law enforcement response. Allen had checked into the hotel as a guest days earlier, traveling by Amtrak from his home in Torrance, California.

Today, we are releasing video already provided to U.S. District Court showing Cole Allen shoot a U.S. Secret Service officer during his attempt to assassinate the President at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.There is no evidence the shooting was the result of friendly…pic.twitter.com/a8gRXkW6BH

Born April 11, 1995,Allen is a California native with an extensive academic background -earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2017 and a master’s in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2025.He interned at NASA, worked part-time as a tutor at C2 Education in Torrance (named “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024), and developed video games, including a 'non-violent fighting game' (lol) calledBohrdomthat was later removed from Steam following his arrest.

Acquaintances and family described him ashighly intelligent, polite, inquisitive, and generally “gentle” or “super stable,” with no prior criminal history. He lived with his parents and siblings, regularly practiced at shooting ranges, and had expressed anti-Trump political views online and in person—including a small donation to Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign and attendance at protests.

Approximately 10 minutes before the attack,Allen emailed alengthy notetitled "Apology and Explanation" to family members.In it, he apologized for “abusing” their trust and stated he did not expect forgiveness.He exhibited deep hatred of Trump, referring to himself in one passage as the "Friendly Federal Assassin"and outlining an intent to target “administration officials (not including Mr. Patel)” - widely interpreted as sparing FBI Director Kash Patel - from highest-ranking to lowest.

The document criticized specific actions such asfederal operations against alleged drug boats and highlighted what Allen perceived as lax security at the hotel and event. Also for some reason FBI Director Kash Patel wasnota target.

Source: ZeroHedge News