In the photo, the defendant was wearing a black dress shirt, black slacks, and what appeared to be a red tie tucked into his pants. An enhanced version of the image (bottom right) shows that the defendant also appears to be wearing a small leather bag (item 1) that matches the appearance of an ammunition bag later recovered from the person, a shoulder holster (item 2), a sheathed knife (item 3) that matches the appearance of one of the knives later recovered from the person, and pliers and wire cutters (item 4) that match the appearance of one of the knives later recovered from the person.
Source: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Cole Thomas Allen took a selfie in his room at the Washington Hilton about 30 minutes before he breached a security checkpoint with several guns and attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner Saturday night, federal prosecutors said in a court filing Wednesday.
Photos of Allen in the filing show him wearing a small leather bag matching the appearance of a bag containing ammunition later recovered from him, a shoulder holster, a sheathed knife believed to be one of the knives later recovered, and “pliers and wire cutters matching the appearance of those later recovered from Allen,” the filing states.
Prosecutors argued that Allen should be held without bond, including photos of the gun and knife Allen allegedly had on Saturday.
A detention hearing for the 31-year-old California resident is scheduled for Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington.
Mr. Allen has been in custody since Saturday, when he was tackled by Secret Service agents before running down the stairs to the ballroom where Mr. Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and other Trump administration officials were attending the annual media evening.
“Had the defendant achieved his intended outcome, it would have ushered in one of the darkest days in American history,” prosecutors from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office said in a filing.
“The defendant was traveling across the country with the express purpose of killing the President of the United States. Armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, a .38 caliber pistol, two knives, four daggers, and enough ammunition to kill dozens of people, the defendant was arrested by (U.S. Secret Intelligence Service) agents along with other Cabinet members just feet away from a banquet hall where his primary target was located,” the filing states.
“This was a premeditated attack of immense malice, endangering the lives of hundreds of people. The only violation was attending an annual event featuring the President of the United States celebrating the media,” prosecutors wrote. “It was essentially an anti-democratic act of political violence.”
Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump, transporting firearms and ammunition in interstate commerce, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
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