US President Trump posts a photo on social media of law enforcement detaining a suspect following the shooting incident at the White House correspondents dinner in Washington, DC, United States on the night of April 25, 2026. The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, was taken into custody shortly after the disturbance at the high-profile event.
Satya Social | Anadolu | getty images
Cole Thomas Allen, the man who was arrested after allegedly charging at a security checkpoint for the White House correspondents’ dinner while President Donald Trump and other top administration officials were present, will be arraigned in federal court in Washington on Monday.
As of 10:30 a.m. ET Monday, there was no public record of allegations against Allen, 31, of Torrance, who was a teacher at C2 Education, a provider of tutoring, test preparation and college admissions counseling.
But Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch said Sunday he expected charges to include assault on a federal officer and discharging a firearm during an assault on a federal officer. Shots were fired outside the ballroom where the dinner was going on.
Allen was reportedly armed with a shotgun, handgun and a knife when he ran through the checkpoint toward the ballroom. One was fired upon at a Secret Service office but was not seriously injured, according to Trump, who credited the agent’s protective gear.
The court hearing comes as concerns have been raised over the Secret Service’s handling of Saturday’s event, where Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance were evacuated after gunshots rang out during the hearing in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton Hotel.
“We have to do some things differently, and we’re already talking about it, and that’s a good thing, and we’ll be in a better position for the next event,” FBI Director Kash Patel told “Fox & Friends” in an interview Monday morning.
“Just to remind everybody. This was almost the entire President’s Cabinet, the President himself and the Vice President, and 2,000 members of the media,” Patel said. “This is a tragedy that even movies don’t write about.”
Patel said the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit is involved in the investigation and has collected emails, social media postings and conducted interviews to gain information about Allen’s motivation.
He said the criminal complaint against Allen “will show you what he did, how he got there, when he got there, when he arrived, how he got into the arena, how he got to the area in question, how he was able to get through security without being detected.”
Allen, who stayed at the hotel before the dinner, reportedly sent an email letter to relatives shortly before the shooting in which he wrote that Trump administration officials “are being targeted, with priority given to them from the highest ranking to the lowest.”
In a “PS” in the note, which was first reported New York PostAllen continued what he called a “rant” about the apparent lack of security measures at the Hilton.
According to The Post, Allen wrote, “I walk around with multiple weapons and not a single person out there considers the possibility that I could be a threat.” Security at the event was completely out of the question, focused on the protesters and the current arrivals, because apparently no one had thought about what would happen if someone checked in the day before.”
He wrote, “Like, this level of incompetence is insane, and I sincerely hope that by the time this country gets truly competent leadership again, it will be okay.”
The letter was signed “Cole ‘Coldforce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen”, The Post reported.
This is developing news. Check back for updates.
