Suspect charged with attempted assassination of Trump

A California man has been charged with attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump after trying to storm a gala event with weapons on Saturday night.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was also charged with two firearms offences when he appeared in court in Washington DC on Monday. He did not enter a plea.

He was carrying a semi-automatic handgun, a pump-action shotgun and three knives as he charged past a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday, say prosecutors.

The incident has sparked a White House security review.

A Secret Service agent was shot but not seriously wounded during the attack at a hotel. The accused faces life in prison if found guilty.

Dressed in a blue jumpsuit with a nametag, the suspect appeared calm at Monday’s court appearance in the nation’s capital.

He was softly spoken as he answered almost every question from the judge with either “yes, your honour” or “no, your honour”.

Three US marshals stood behind him, and one was at his side, while the federal prosecutor handling the case, US Attorney for Washington Jeanine Pirro, looked on.

During Saturday night’s incident, Trump, Vice-President JD Vance, cabinet members and other White House officials were rushed from the Washington Hilton hotel ballroom after gunfire rang out.

The suspect allegedly rushed through a security checkpoint one floor above the basement venue.

“One Secret Service officer was shot in the chest, but was wearing a ballistic vest that worked,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a news conference on Monday. –BBC

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