The alleged would-be assassin at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner hid an arsenal of weapons underneath his long black coat, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Wednesday.
The suspect, Cole Allen, took a mirror selfie of himself while wearing a bag filled with ammunition, a shoulder holster, a sheathed knife, wires and plier cutters that were all consistent with the items later recovered during his arrest, according to the DOJ. He rushed the event’s screening checkpoint about 30 minutes after the photos were taken in his hotel room.
JUST IN: Federal prosecutors release new images and details of Cole Allen and his alleged attempt to assassinate president Trump. Here is a mirror selfie he took about 30 minutes before charging past the magnetometers. https://t.co/SjBVCPQJQO pic.twitter.com/tBPnPDOQPS
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 29, 2026
Before Allen approached the checkpoint, he discarded a long black coat which concealed a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, according to the DOJ. He sprinted through one of the magnetometers at the checkpoint and ran toward a staircase leading to the ballroom where President Donald Trump, members of his family and Cabinet officials were located.
Allen opened fire with a shotgun raised parallel to the ground, according to the DOJ. An officer observed him fire the shotgun in the direction of the staircase and fired five shots at Allen.
At the time of the arrest, Allen possessed a Mossberg 12-gauge pump-action shotgun with one spent cartridge in the barrel and eight unfired cartridges in the magazine tube, according to the DOJ. He also had a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol loaded with ten rounds of ammunition and two handgun magazines each containing nine rounds of ammunition.
Following Allen’s arrest, the DOJ charged Allen with attempting to assassinate a U.S. president, transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The attempted assassination charge carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- Trump would-be assassin hid arsenal of weapons underneath long black coat like he thought he was Neo from ‘The Matrix’ - April 29, 2026
- Arizona gov repeatedly dodges on senator’s ties to disgraced ex-Rep Swalwell - April 20, 2026
- Karoline Leavitt unleashes on ‘left-wing hack’ reporter - January 15, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
BPR INSIDER COMMENTS
Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!
