Cole Tomas Allen court hearing over alleged armed attempt at White House Correspondents dinner

Cole Tomas Allen was due in court on Thursday as a judge considered whether Allen stayed in custody before trial. Authorities said Allen tried to enter the White House Correspondents Association dinner with guns and knives. Prosecutors also accused Allen of trying to kill President Donald Trump during the incident at the Washington Hilton.

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Allen, 31, was charged on Monday with attempted assassination of the president. Two additional firearms counts were also filed. One count involved discharging a weapon during a crime of violence. If convicted on the assassination count alone, Allen faced up to life in prison.

White House Correspondents Association dinner attack details

Prosecutors said Allen planned the attack for weeks and tracked Trump’s movements online. Officials alleged Allen ran through a magnetometer at the Washington Hilton. Prosecutors said Allen was holding a long gun. The incident disrupted one of Washington’s biggest annual events.

Officials said Allen was injured during the attack but was not shot. A Secret Service officer was shot, officials said. The officer survived, authorities said, because a bullet-resistant vest was worn. Prosecutors said Allen fired a shotgun at least once. Prosecutors also said a Secret Service agent fired five shots.

White House Correspondents Association dinner ballistics and evidence

Prosecutors said they had not publicly confirmed whose bullet hit the agent’s vest. The Justice Department said evidence showed Allen fired in the agent’s direction. Investigators recovered at least one fragment at the scene. Prosecutors said the fragment matched a buckshot pellet.

"The government is aware of no physical evidence, digital video evidence, or witness statements that are inconsistent with the theory that your client fired his shotgun in the direction of the officer or that the officer was indeed shot once in the chest while wearing a ballistic vest,\" prosecutors wrote.

In a Wednesday letter, Allen’s lawyers pointed to remarks by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. The lawyers said the statements suggested problems with the government’s account. They argued the recovered ballistics evidence did not match parts of the theory. They also cited government evidence and witness comments.

White House Correspondents Association dinner motive and defence claims

Prosecutors said Allen took a photo in a hotel room minutes before the incident. Court papers said Allen wore an ammunition bag and a shoulder gun holster. Prosecutors also said Allen carried a sheathed knife. Authorities said writings sent to family members described a motive.

Allen referred to himself as a Friendly Federal Assassin in that message, authorities said. Prosecutors said the writing hinted at grievances about Trump administration actions. The Associated Press reviewed the writings. Defence lawyers argued the writings never named Trump. They said the case relied on uncertain assumptions.

\"The governments evidence of the charged offense –- the attempted assassination of the president –- is thus built entirely upon speculation, even under the most generous reading of its theory,\" defense lawyers wrote.

Allen’s lawyers sought release while the case moved forward. Prosecutors asked the judge to keep Allen detained until trial. Allen was described as being from Torrance, California. Officials said Allen was a highly educated tutor. Authorities also said Allen was an amateur video game developer.

With inputs from PTI