Accused correspondent’s dinner shooter to remain in jail

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Cole Allen will stay in jail for now.

The man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump and most of his cabinet appeared in court Thursday for a detention hearing that lasted only a few minutes.

Allen was calm as he walked into the hearing and spoke clearly for the judge. The accused White House correspondent’s dinner shooter entered a nearly full courtroom for his second court appearance.

At the last minute, his legal team changed course, saying Allen had conceded to detention. He agreed to the motion forwarded by the government asking he remain imprisoned before his trial.

According to his attorneys, Allen is being kept in a “safe cell” on 24-hour lockdown; a fact they’re attempting to remedy, claiming it’s difficult for him to meet with counsel.

Even after the win, the prosecution still moved to continue the hearing as scheduled for the record. The judge called the move “unprecedented” and swiftly denied the ask.

Still, the government’s detention memo shed new light on Allen’s alleged plot to assassinate President Trump and his cabinet. Investigators claim he planned the attack after hearing Trump would attend the annual White House Correspondent’s Dinner, taking a train from California to DC in order to carry out the plot.

Investigators say on April 25, Allen was armed with a shotgun, pistol, and multiple knives and daggers. They believe he only fired a single shot toward the entrance of the ballroom before being subdued by secret service agents.

He also wrote emails to family and friends explaining his actions, scheduled to be sent at 8:30 that night. That was minutes before he is accused of running through security and exchanging fire with agents.

Allen will next be in court for a preliminary hearing May 11. If convicted of attempting to assassinate the president, he faces life in prison.