Would-Be Trump Assassin Hit With Terrorism Charge

The man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April now faces a terrorism charge carrying a potential life sentence.

A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment adding a count of committing an act of terrorism while armed against Cole Tomas Allen, 31, prosecutors announced Friday. The new charge brings the total number of counts against Allen to five.

Prosecutors allege Allen attempted to kill Trump with the intent of influencing executive branch policy and intimidating a significant portion of the civilian population. Prosecutors brought the charge under a Washington, D.C., terrorism statute.

Allen has not yet entered a plea to the new charge. He previously pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from the April 25 attack.

According to prosecutors, Allen charged through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel while armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, a .38-caliber handgun, knives, and daggers. He allegedly fired at a Secret Service officer, striking the officer’s bulletproof vest, as he attempted to reach the ballroom where Trump and hundreds of guests were attending the annual dinner.

The shooting sent the room into chaos. Secret Service agents rushed Trump and other senior administration officials from the stage while guests, including members of the president’s Cabinet, took cover beneath tables.

Investigators say Allen sent a manifesto to family members, friends, and a former employer explaining his actions. In the message, he identified administration officials as targets, with the exception of FBI Director Kash Patel, and said they were “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.”

“I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes,” Allen allegedly wrote.

Allen also faces charges of attempting to assassinate the president, assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, transporting a firearm and ammunition across state lines with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

The new terrorism count invokes a District of Columbia law that prosecutors have previously used in cases involving politically motivated violence. 

Although federal law does not contain a broad domestic terrorism offense, the D.C. statute allows prosecutors to pursue terrorism charges when an alleged act of violence is intended to influence government policy or intimidate civilians. The charge carries the possibility of a life sentence.

Allen’s case has also involved a dispute over his conditions of confinement and an unsuccessful effort by his defense to disqualify U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro from overseeing the prosecution. Pirro was among the attendees at the dinner.

The attack was the third major attempt to assassinate Trump since 2024. A gunman wounded Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, killing attendee Corey Comperatore. Two months later, another armed man was arrested after being spotted near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Allen’s trial is scheduled to begin on September 7, 2027, before U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden. A status conference is scheduled for December 4.

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