White House event shooter charged with attempted assassination of Trump

A California man accused of shooting a US Secret Service agent while attempting to breach security at a Washington dinner attended by US President Donald Trump has been charged with trying to assassinate the president, a judge said on Monday.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California, also faces additional firearms-related charges.

Allen appeared in a Washington federal court wearing a blue prison jumpsuit, two days after authorities said they thwarted an attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, an annual gathering of journalists and political figures.

He has not yet responded to the allegations. Seated at the defence table alongside US Marshals, Allen told the court he would answer questions truthfully and noted that he holds a master’s degree in computer science.