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Suspect in Correspondents' Dinner assassination attempt must remain shackled in court, judge says

The judge said even though Cole Tomas Allen has made previous appearances without incident, the allegations against him are serious.
Suspect in Trump assassination attempt must remain shackled in court, judge says
This image contained in a court filing by the Department of Justice, April 29, 2026, shows Cole Tomas Allen, left,  inside his hotel room, on Saturday, April 25, 2026 in Washington, using his cellphone to take a photograph of himself in the mirror. An enhanced version of the image is right.
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The man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner back in April made a court appearance in the federal courthouse on Thursday.

Cole Tomas Allen had asked the judge, Trevor McFadden, to allow him to appear at all future pretrial proceedings without shackles, but Judge McFadden denied that request. The judge said even though Allen has made previous appearances without incident, the allegations against him are serious.

Allen faces four charges, including attempt to assassinate the President of the United States. He pleaded not guilty to all four in May.

On Thursday, we also learned from federal prosecutors that the video evidence in this case is immense. They told the judge that there is video evidence tracking Cole Tomas Allen from California all the way to Washington.

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Washington DC defense attorneys told the court that they have received some of the evidence that they need, but they're also very concerned that they will not have enough time to review additional pieces of evidence.

Prosecutors are eyeing a potential trial date in April. However, the judge has not made a decision on a trial date as yet.