Grand jury indicts Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect

Politics
6 May 2026 • 5:33 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Grand jury indicts Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect

  • A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has indicted Cole Allen on four counts, including attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.
  • Allen is accused of shooting a Secret Service agent in the chest with a shotgun during an alleged attempt to breach security at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
  • Prosecutors claim Allen intended to kill the president and anyone who obstructed his path, citing evidence of his tracking the president's movements and event schedule.
  • The charges also include transporting firearms and ammunition with the intent to commit a felony and carrying a firearm to commit a crime of violence, with Allen facing potential life in prison if convicted.
  • Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui expressed "grave concerns" about Allen's pretrial detention conditions, including solitary confinement and restrictive measures, and apologized to him in court.

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