DOJ bombshell: Advance hotel booking and more, DOJ bombshell: Terrifying details of Cole Tomas Allen’s ‘deranged’ mission REVEALED
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White House correspondents' dinner Photograph: (Combination created using images from AFP and X)
How long did the alleged plot to kill Donald Trump take shape before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner? Federal prosecutors say Cole Allen spent weeks planning, booked his hotel in advance, travelled cross-country armed, and arrived with a clear target. All we know.
Cole Tomas Allen, the man who allegedly tried to kill US President Donald Trump at a White House correspondents' dinner on Saturday (Apr 25) planned an elaborate, heavily armed aggression, as per a US Department of Justice press release. According to court documents, Allen had made a reservation at the dinner venue, the Washington Hilton hotel, for three nights as part of his plan to carry out a "deranged attack on our elected officials".
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Advance hotel booking: Trump assassination three weeks in planning
According to the DOJ, Cole Tomas Allen, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, had been planning the attack for nearly three weeks. Allegedly, he travelled across the country by train carrying with him a shotgun and a pistol before opening fire at a hotel security checkpoint in Washington.
Cole Tomas Allen, who lived near Los Angeles, booked a three-night stay at the Washington Hilton, the dinner venue, on April 6, well in advance of the April 25 event, according to court documents. He travelled by train from California to Chicago, then boarded a second train to Washington, arriving in the capital at around 1 PM on April 24 and checking into the hotel that afternoon.
What happened at the Hilton hotel?
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On April 25, at approximately 8:40 PM, Allen approached a security checkpoint on the hotel's Terrace Level leading to the ballroom where the dinner was being held. He ran through the magnetometer carrying a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. A Secret Service officer stationed at the checkpoint was shot once in the chest. The officer, who was wearing a ballistic vest, survived the attack. He drew his service weapon and fired multiple times at Allen, who fell to the ground and sustained minor injuries. He was taken into custody at the scene.
When officers arrested Allen, he was found in possession of the shotgun and a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol.
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'Abundantly clear' Trump was the target
FBI Director Kash Patel said the evidence was "abundantly clear" that Allen had travelled to Washington with the intention of killing Trump and targeting members of his administration. "Thanks to the heroic actions of our brave law enforcement partners who acted quickly and professionally, Allen did not succeed," Patel said. "And now, he will be held fully accountable."
Darren Cox, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, described the plot as "a brazen attempt to assassinate the president and numerous high-ranking US government officials," adding that "violence is never an acceptable means of expressing political dissent."
