US to add charges against shooter targeting White House Correspondents' Dinner event
Istanbul (ANTARA) - The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, stated on Monday that federal authorities will add charges against the suspect in the shooting that targeted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner event, as the investigation continues.
The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, involved in the shooting incident on Saturday, has been brought before federal court with several charges, including attempted murder of US President Donald Trump.
“There will be additional charges as this investigation continues to develop,” Pirro told reporters, citing the suspect’s possession of weapons—including rifles, semi-automatic firearms, and several knives—as evidence of intent to commit violence.
She emphasised that the assumption that the suspect did not intend to commit violence is “unreasonable.”
Meanwhile, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the US Department of Justice has filed three federal charges, including attempted murder of the US President, which carries a potential life sentence.
He added that the other charges include transporting firearms across state lines and using a weapon in a violent act, which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Blanche assessed that law enforcement acted according to procedure and successfully thwarted the attack plan.
FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency has launched a comprehensive response, including conducting interviews and searches in California and Connecticut.
He also praised the US Secret Service for successfully preventing the suspect from entering the event space, thereby “stopping a major attack from becoming worse.”
Patel added that there are currently no other credible threats to the city.
Allen, a 31-year-old man from California, was arrested on Saturday after attempting to breach a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton Hotel, the location of the annual event.
The suspect will remain in custody pending a further hearing on extended detention scheduled for Thursday.
Source: Anadolu