Cole Tomas Allen Shot Secret Service Agent During Trump Assassination Attempt at Washington Hilton

An assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington took place last week, and the incident unfolded on Saturday at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

“Grace Eliza Goodwin Reporting from New York A lot has happened today in the aftermath of Saturday's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner”

BBC

The suspected gunman, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California, was armed with a shotgun, a pistol and knives when he tried to force his way into the venue where Trump, vice president JD Vance and senior officials were attending the annual event.

BBC

The Times of India reports that Allen “walked down 10 flights of stairs from his room with guns and knives before sprinting through a metal detector,” and that he was apprehended at the top of a flight of stairs leading down to the ballroom where Trump was seated.

The Times of India reports that Allen was seen running through the hotel lobby but was stopped before reaching the main hall, and that the president and his team were quickly evacuated as guests took cover.

The only injury reported Saturday was to a Secret Service member who was struck by gunfire but avoided serious injury because he was wearing a bulletproof vest, according to NewsNation.

Acting attorney general Todd Blanche said, “This heroic officer who was hit fired five times at Allen,” and described how Allen “fell to the ground and was promptly arrested.”

The BBC reported that Allen appeared in court for the first time in a Washington DC federal court, faced three charges with the most serious being attempting to assassinate the president, and did not enter a plea with his next appearance on Thursday.

A central question after the shooting was whether the injured Secret Service agent was hit by the suspect or by a colleague during the exchange of gunfire.

The Times of India reports that during a court hearing it was found that the agent who was hit “had fired five shots at the suspect but was not struck by return fire in a confirmed exchange,” and it quotes acting attorney general Todd Blanche saying, “This heroic officer who was hit fired five times at Allen, who was not shot but fell to the ground and was promptly arrested.”

Fox News

The International Business Times UK adds that a Sky News report suggests the wounded agent “may have been struck by 'friendly fire' from a colleague rather than by the suspect,” and it frames the possibility as “a crucial part of the story” that “raises new questions about how the chaotic moments of the attack unfolded.”

In the same account, Blanche is quoted saying, “The defendant fired out of his shotgun - we know that happened,” while also declining to confirm who hit the agent: “But as far as getting into exacting ballistics, I'm not going to do that today,” according to Sky News.

NewsNation similarly describes that the only injury was to a Secret Service member who was struck by gunfire but avoided serious injury because he was wearing a bulletproof vest, and it quotes retired Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy saying, “It was handled pretty well.”

The Times of India also states that Allen was “armed with a shotgun, a pistol and knives,” and that the bullet struck a Kevlar vest, which helped the agent survive.

TheWrap does not address ballistics, but it does quote Rachel Maddow criticizing how the White House responded to the attack, saying, “I mean, it’s the world’s least serious responses to what was actually a serious security situation.”

Investigators and prosecutors described alleged planning materials and Allen’s background as the case moved into court.

The BBC reported that Justice Department leaders spoke about Allen's alleged plans for the shooting, including photos of knives and guns they say Allen carried with him and an email they describe as a "manifesto".

The Times of India reports that Allen’s brother alerted police after receiving a 1000-word manifesto from Allen, and it adds that his sister told officials he often spoke about doing “something” to fix problems in the world.

The Times of India also says Allen holds a mechanical engineering degree from the California Institute of Technology and had no previous criminal record, according to his lawyer.

The Hill reports that CBS News said the suspected gunman wrote a manifesto stating he wanted to target White House officials “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest,” and it notes that an administration official confirmed to The Hill that the suspect wrote this manifesto.

The Hill also states that questions have arisen over how a shooter was able to get so close to the president and the event, and it places the Saturday incident after two assassination attempts on Trump’s life — one in Butler, Pa., and another in West Palm Beach, Fla.

The Times of India adds that the attempted attack is one of several threats faced by Trump in recent years, following an earlier incident in Pennsylvania in 2024 and another case involving a plot at a golf course in Florida, for which a man was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Reactions to the attempt split between praise for operational response and criticism of how the White House and broader political system handled security and funding.

The Hill reports that Trump is standing by Secret Service leadership, with a senior White House official saying Trump thinks the Secret Service did “an excellent job” of neutralizing the shooter and moving the president, along with first lady Melania Trump and Vice President Vance, to safety.

NewsNation

The same Hill account says White House chief of staff Susie Wiles would hold a meeting early this week with the White House operations team, Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security leadership to discuss protocol and practice for large events involving Trump, and it quotes the official saying the meeting will discuss “the processes and procedures that worked to stop Saturday’s attempt.”

NewsNation quotes retired Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy saying, “It was handled pretty well,” and adds that “Security was tested, security responded,” while also saying the agency should still prompt a review of procedures.

By contrast, TheWrap quotes Rachel Maddow saying the Secret Service “deserve better than to have to do their work within the most catastrophically broken, flagrantly failing part of the government under this president,” and it quotes her describing the White House response as “The response from the White House has been to further enthuse about the president’s ballroom project.”

Fox News frames the political fight as a funding problem, reporting that Republicans want swift action to fund the Secret Service after it foiled a third apparent assassination attempt amid a record-breaking Department of Homeland Security shutdown, with the federal policing force “not been funded for 74 days.”

Fox News quotes House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., saying, “We have to move DHS funding because it’s urgent,” and it includes House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries blaming House Republicans for the funding lapse.

Beyond the immediate shooting, multiple sources describe scrutiny of the venue choice and the security perimeter around the Washington Hilton.

“(NewsNation) — A retired Secret Service agent who took a bullet during the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan is praising his former agency for the way it stopped a gunman from harming President Donald Trump at aSaturdayevent in Washington, D”

NewsNation

The Times reports that former Secret Service officials called the security arrangements a “disaster in the making,” and it quotes Richard Staropoli, a former Secret Service Special agent, saying the gunman should “never have been able to reach that point.”

The Hill

The Times also quotes AT Smith, former deputy director of the Secret Service, saying the fact that the alleged shooter ran past magnetometers and got as close as he did to the security perimeter was “not acceptable” for the service.

The Times explains that the White House correspondents’ dinner is held each year at the Washington Hilton, “a mile-and-a-half from the White House,” and it argues that the hotel is a functioning “public accommodations” space where guests can stay in the building ahead of time.

It adds that attendees could enter the hotel with only a paper or digital ticket, then mill about before walking through metal detectors, and it says the Hilton’s magnetometers are stationed very close to the ballroom.

The BBC reported that officials stressed security protocols at the event worked but that the White House said it is not ruling out changes to the president's security.

The Hill adds that questions have arisen over how a shooter was able to get so close to the president and the event, and it notes that the White House planned a meeting to discuss protocol and practice for large events.

The stakes of the attempt are reflected in both the legal process for Cole Tomas Allen and the policy and funding decisions facing US officials.

The BBC reported that Allen appeared in a Washington DC federal court, faced three charges with the most serious being attempting to assassinate the president that “could carry a life sentence if he is convicted,” and that he “did not enter a plea today, and his next appearance is on Thursday.”

The Times of India says prosecutors believe “more charges are likely as the investigation continues,” and it reports that Allen remains in federal custody.

Fox News ties the incident to immediate legislative urgency, saying Republicans want swift action to fund the Secret Service after it foiled a third apparent assassination attempt amid the DHS shutdown, and it quotes House Speaker Mike Johnson saying, “We’ve got to get the job done.”

The Hill reports that Trump’s senior White House official said Susie Wiles would hold a meeting early this week with Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security leadership to discuss “processes and procedures that worked to stop Saturday’s attempt.”

NewsNation adds that Tim McCarthy said the response in Washington showed improvement but should still prompt a review of procedures, quoting him saying, “They did well, but they’re going to have to continue to do better.”

The Times of India also places the attempt in a broader pattern, saying it follows an earlier incident in Pennsylvania in 2024 and another case involving a plot at a golf course in Florida, for which a man was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.