Prosecutors released a selfie taken by Cole Tomas Allen just moments before he allegedly attempted to storm into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Allen, 31, was seen in the picture smirking, wearing an all-black outfit and a red tie. He’s also strapped with several guns, ammunition, knives, and wire cutters in the image.
“At approximately 8:03 p.m., while back inside his hotel room, the defendant used his cellphone to take a photograph of himself in the mirror,” federal prosecutors said in a motion arguing for pretrial detention.
Prosecutors said just after these images were captured, he then sent a manifesto before he opened fire at a Secret Service checkpoint as he attempted to get access to the high-profile dinner at the Washington Hilton.
“The defendant’s prescheduled emails with the ‘Apology and Explanation’ attachment were sent a few minutes later, at approximately 8:30 p.m.,” prosecutors wrote.
“Shortly thereafter, the defendant rushed the screening checkpoint on the Terrace Level of the Washington Hilton with a raised shotgun,” they added.
Leading up to the event and while staying at the Washington Hilton, prosecutors said he used his phone several times to read about Trump’s whereabouts and the logistics of the WHCD weekend.
On April 6, prosecutors said he used his cellphone to search “white house correspondents dinner 2026” using an online search engine, and two hours later, he had booked his hotel stay at the Washington Hilton.
Over the next several weeks, Allen opened several news articles about the event, including information on the schedule and its attendees.
Prosecutors have said that Allen traveled from his home in Torrance, California, to Washington, D.C., by train, stopping in Chicago along the way.
En route to Washington, Allen is said to have used his cell phone to view several news reports about the dinner, including a Daily Beast article titled, “Trump’s Plans for ‘Mic-Drop’ Media Confrontation Are Leaked.” He also viewed the D.C. newspaper Georgetowner’s guide to the “social scene” surrounding the black-tie event.
While staying at the hotel, prosecutors said he also used his cellphone to view the webpage “Presidential Schedule – CivicTracker."
Moments before he opened fire, Allen allegedly opened a video streamed by Fox News and titled “WATCH LIVE: President Trump, first lady en route to White House Correspondents’ Dinner.”
In his alleged manifesto sent just before he opened fire, he slammed the event’s weak security.
“I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat,” he allegedly wrote, adding, “What the hell is the Secret Service doing?”
“Like, this level of incompetence is insane, and I very sincerely hope it’s corrected by the time this country gets actually competent leadership again,” he raged.
Allen was arraigned in federal court on Monday. He is facing three criminal charges, including attempting to assassinate the president.
