Judge Holds Hearing on Jail Conditions for Trump Assassination Attempt Suspect

U.S. D.C. Department of Corrections to explain why Cole Tomas Allen was placed in restrictive conditions after his arrest for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump.

Faruqui proceeded with the hearing despite Allen's attorneys asking to cancel it, citing grave concerns about Allen's treatment. C. jail removed Cole Tomas Allen from suicide status over the weekend, following complaints from his attorneys that he had been unnecessarily confined in a padded room with constant lighting, repeatedly strip searched, and placed in restraints outside his cell.

Allen was moved into protective custody after the jail lifted the suicide prevention measures, and his attorneys did not object to this new confinement status. Faruqui ordered prosecutors to send an email by Tuesday morning informing him of a final decision on Allen’s detention location.

A jail psychiatrist evaluated Cole Tomas Allen and concluded that he posed a suicide risk, according to Tony Towns, acting general counsel for the city’s corrections department.

Towns stated that Allen was assessed as a suicide risk by a psychiatrist at the jail and was later downgraded after reevaluation. Justice Department prosecutor Jocelyn Ballantine stated that Cole Tomas Allen told investigators after his arrest that he had not expected to survive the alleged attack.

Defense attorney Eugene Ohm stated that Cole Tomas Allen was prohibited from having anything in his cell.

Ohm added that Allen requested a Bible and a visit from a chaplain but has not received either. C. jail officials placed Cole Tomas Allen in a safe, padded cell with 24-hour lockdown and constant lighting, that he was told he could not make a legal call over the weekend, was not able to have paperwork or legal work in his room, and was denied a Bible that he requested.