Cole Allen Indicted on Federal Charges in White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting

Cole Allen was indicted Tuesday on four charges including a new count of assaulting a federal officer for his alleged role in the April 25 shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington. The incident occurred inside a lobby outside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton.

, charging through a magnetometer and firing one shot from a 12-gauge shotgun. A pellet from the buckshot struck an agent's ballistic vest, though the agent did not suffer serious injuries. One agent returned fire with five rounds but did not strike Allen, who then fell to the ground and was apprehended.

Allen remains incarcerated in a Washington, D.C., jail and is scheduled to be arraigned on May 11. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The report, labeled a "Critical Incident Note," stated that the war in Iran may have contributed to his decision to conduct the attack, citing his social media posts about the conflict. The document was originally obtained via a public records request by the nonprofit Property of the People.

Officials said Allen expressed anti-Trump sentiments in a manifesto sent via a pre-scheduled email to family and friends minutes before the attack. In the message he described himself as a savior of those oppressed by the current administration while apologizing to those he might harm.

Allen acknowledged that his actions would likely severely harm him but stopped short of stating he was willing to die for the cause. He described himself as "friendly" and noted specific people he hoped would not be caught in the crossfire during his cross-country journey to the event.

The agency does not publicly comment on the content of internal law enforcement communications.

Allen, a Caltech graduate and indie video game developer, was previously described by those who knew him as a godly person and young athlete. Authorities have not released additional details about his path from that background to the alleged attack.

The shooting took place during a high-profile media and political gathering. No other injuries were reported beyond the minor impact to the agent's vest. Allen has been held since the night of the incident.

“DHS shares Critical Incident Notes to quickly communicate information and intelligence to federal, state, and local authorities.”

Federal prosecutors added the assault charge in the indictment returned Tuesday. The other three charges were not detailed in available reporting. The case remains under active investigation.