Man Charged With Attempted Assassination at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

C. One image shows Allen taking a selfie in his hotel room, wearing a black shirt and red tie, with knives and weapons attached to his person and in his bag, moments before the attack. Allen, 31, traveled from California to attend the event, possessing a shotgun, a handgun, and knives, according to authorities.

He allegedly fired the shotgun in the direction of the stairs leading down to the ballroom at a security checkpoint. U.S. Secret Service officer fired five times at Allen, who fell to the ground, was restrained, and placed under arrest.

In a court filing, authorities stated that Allen wrote assessments of the hotel's security upon arrival, noting he walked in with multiple weapons and no one considered him a threat. Allen complained in his notes that if he was an Iranian agent, he could have brought a Ma Deuce into the hotel unnoticed.

He is charged with attempted assassination of the president and is scheduled to appear in court on May 4, 2026.

Allen booked his room at the Washington Hilton in early April 2026 and searched for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and related events before arriving in Washington. He kept a running note on his phone of observations during his cross-country train journey. On the day of the dinner, Allen left his room multiple times and accessed a webpage tracking the president's schedule.

Minutes before the attack, Allen visited the presidential schedule tracking page and attempted to watch the president's arrival. He sent an email outlining his plans before the attack. Law enforcement found in Allen's hotel room two additional knives, a magazine with 10 rounds of ammunition, two boxes each containing 10 rounds of shotgun ammunition, a half-facepiece respirator, a roll of duct tape, and two rolls of grip tape.

In Allen's bedroom in Torrance, California, law enforcement recovered two long gun bags, a Mossberg buttstock, a pistol holster, a training pistol, shotgun ammunition, and several electronic devices. Allen sent a manifesto to family members before the attack, stating his desire to kill administration officials and potentially anyone who got in his way, including at least some of the more than 2,000 dinner guests.

The manifesto included apologies to anyone he might otherwise affect.

A former colleague described Allen as a normal person who was well liked at the tutoring company where they worked. The colleague said Allen had interests in anime and Super Smash Bros. and was an animal lover.

The former colleague and Allen never talked about politics. Allen donated $25 to Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign. On his Bluesky account, Allen liked posts from accounts including Will Stancil, Jamelle Bouie, and The Onion.

Allen reposted criticism of Hasan Piker on his Bluesky account. The incident follows other recent acts of political violence. Luigi Mangione allegedly killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024.

Tyler Robinson allegedly killed Charlie Kirk in 2025. Robinson was chiefly concerned about protecting gay and trans rights, according to his mother’s statements to investigators and text messages with his roommate, as reported by The Guardian. A poll found that 81 percent of college students held a negative view of the health-insurance CEO after Thompson’s killing, according to Axios.

From March 2021 to December 2025, the share of Americans who agreed that true American patriots may have to resort to violence to save the country increased from 15 percent to 20 percent, according to the Public Religion Research Institute. From 2020 to 2024, instances of domestic violence rose, according to the FBI. U.S.

Sits at 21 percent, according to Gallup. Separately, President Trump and the first lady criticized Jimmy Kimmel over his comments before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The FCC ordered a review of Disney’s licenses, stating the probe is about Disney’s diversity practices.

Jimmy Kimmel said, 'Wait a minute, did he just make a joke about his death? ' A Melania Trump advisor stated that the first lady was in full control during the assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Jimmy Kimmel described Melania Trump as having a glow like an expectant widow in a joke on his late-night show.