The suspect in an attempt to assassinate US President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has pleaded not guilty to the four federal charges against him in an appearance in a Washington court.
Cole Allen, 31 years old, who remains in custody pending the trial, is accused of attempting to murder a famous person (magnicide), a crime that can be punished by life imprisonment.
He is also accused of two crimes related to the use and transportation of firearms and a fourth for assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon.according to Spanish news agency EFE.
Allen was arrested on April 26 after bypassing a security check and trying to enter, armed with a shotgun, a pistol and several knives, the lounge of a Washington hotel where the dinner was taking place.
Present at the event were Donald Trump, the first lady, Melania Trump, the vice president, JD Vance, and the president of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, among other authorities.
The suspect, engineer and teacher in California, allegedly ran past a checkpoint and is believed to have shot a police officer before being restrained by security forces.
Minutes before the incident, Allen sent a text to family members stating that his target was members of the Trump administration.
The attempt to enter the hall where the event was taking place triggered a shootout with security agents that caused no casualties, but forced the President and members of the administration to withdraw.
Initially, Allen was charged with three counts, but a fourth was added for alleged assault on a police officer as part of a revised indictment presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia before a grand jury..
Last week, Judge Zia Faruqui, responsible for the case, apologized to Allen for the harsh conditions he was subjected to in prison, after spending several days in an isolation cell, despite complaints from defense lawyers.
Trump has already been the target of three assassination attempts
The attack was the third assassination attempt against Donald Trump, 79, in less than two years.
The Republican President was targeted for the first time in July 2024, during a campaign rally in which he was injured in the ear, and months later on a golf course in Florida.
The next hearing in this case is scheduled for June 29, according to several media outlets cited by the news agency France-Presse (AFP).
