Cole Tomas Allen, 31, is facing federal gun crimes and an attempted assassination charge against US President Donald Trump after the incident last month.

Charges and Court Appearance

The charges include using a firearm during a crime of violence and transporting a firearm across state lines with the intent to commit a felony; Allen appeared in court on Monday wearing an orange jumpsuit and was shackled at the wrists and feet, according to CBS News.

Prosecutors allege that Allen attempted to storm past a security checkpoint and fired a shot at a US Secret Service agent at the event at a Washington Hilton hotel. The federal agent was hit in an exchange of gunfire but was saved by his bullet-proof vest.

Incident Details

Agents tackled Allen just short of a staircase that leads down to a ballroom where the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner was getting under way; the event was attended by journalists, Trump, and many top US officials.

After the gunshots rang out, the US president, Vice-President JD Vance, cabinet members, and a number of White House officials were rushed from the Washington Hilton hotel ballroom.

Allen’s appearance in court on Monday was his first time standing before US District Judge Trevor McFadden, who will preside over the remainder of the case.

Legal Requests and Background

His lawyers have requested Judge McFadden to disqualify all the US attorneys in the Washington office, including US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro, from participating in the case, according to CBS News. Allen’s attorneys are also trying to remove Attorney General Todd Blanche from the case.

Eugene Ohm. A lawyer representing Allen. Said they had presented themselves as victims of the attack in public statements and that it would be “wholly inappropriate” for the pair to be directing the prosecution of this case. The justice department was directed to respond to the request by 22 June.

Authorities have said Allen left his home near Los Angeles in Torrance, California, on 21 April, and travelled by train to Chicago before heading to Washington.

In a memorandum filed by the US government last month, prosecutors say Allen took photos of himself in his hotel room at around 20:03 EST (1:03 BST), wearing dress clothes as well as a shoulder holster, pliers, and wire cutters. Photos included in the memorandum showed Allen posing in front of a mirror with several weapons strapped to his body, including a sheathed knife, and a bag with ammunition.

Prosecutors alleged that during the following half hour, Allen checked several websites for live coverage of the White House Correspondents’ dinner, while he then made his way downstairs and towards the ballroom, where the event was taking place. Prosecutors said he sprinted through a metal detector, holding a shotgun with both hands in a raised position.