The man accused of opening fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April is now facing a charge of attempted terrorism.
The office of US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Friday that a federal grand jury had indicted 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen on the terrorism charge.
Allen had previously been charged with attempting to assassinate the President of the United States after running past a Secret Service checkpoint and exchanging gunfire with agents stationed outside the annual media dinner at the Washington Hilton.
President Donald Trump was seated at the head table at the time.
Federal prosecutors allege that Allen “attempted to kill the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.”
He also faces charges of assaulting a US officer or employee with a deadly weapon, transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
The gunfire could be heard inside the ballroom, prompting journalists and their guests to scramble beneath tables.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were quickly taken to safety.
White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, seen on the floor of the Washington Hilton in the immediate aftermath of the attack, is now facing a terrorism charge, determined by a federal grand jury
President Donald Trump (right), First Lady Melania Trump (center) and now former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (left) are photographed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April before the gun attack
Vice President JD Vance was also at the dinner.
No one suffered major injuries in the shooting.
A Secret Service agent was hit in the chest by buckshot fired from Allen’s Mossberg Maverick 88 12-gauge pump-action shotgun.
The agent was taken to a hospital and treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
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Later that night, Trump held an impromptu press briefing from the White House podium and told reporters he would attend the dinner again.
A replacement dinner took place in late July, although organizers moved it to another Washington, DC, hotel.
The new terrorism charge brings the total number of counts against Allen to five.
He had previously pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
This image, contained in a court filing by the Department of Justice, shows Cole Tomas Allen inside his hotel room, on Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington, using his cellphone to take a photograph of himself in the mirror
US Secret Service agents are seen responding to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting on April 25. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance were whisked away to safe locations moments later
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner takes place annually in the grand underground ballroom of the Washington Hilton. This year’s makeup dinner was moved to the Waldorf Astoria in the aftermath of Allen’s attack
President Donald Trump calls on a reporter during an impromptu press conference from the White House briefing room in the aftermath of the White House Correspondent’s Dinner shooting
Allen pleaded not guilty to the terrorism charge on Friday.
NBC News reported that, because there is no federal statute specifically covering domestic terrorism, Allen was charged under a local Washington, DC, law.
Pirro’s office has the unusual authority to prosecute both federal crimes and local offenses involving adult defendants.
Allen is due back in court on December 4 for a status conference.
His jury trial is scheduled to begin on September 7, 2027.
