Cole Allenthe man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last Saturday, will remain in preventive detention without bail while the judicial process progresses.
Allen, a 31-year-old California teacher, appeared this Thursday in a hearing lasting about 15 minutes in which informed District of Columbia Judge Moxila Upadhyaya that he is giving up challenging his stay in jail, a precautionary measure requested by the prosecution.
This represents a change in the defense strategy, since in a previous letter his lawyers had requested release on bail pending trial.
The accused appeared wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and escorted by two bailiffs, As EFE was able to verify at the hearing, it was prohibited to enter with cameras.
With a serious but calm countenance, He responded to the judge: “Yes, your honor,” when she asked him if he understood the consequences of agreeing to remain detained.
The deputy prosecutor, Charles Jones, insisted several times on continuing the hearing to present evidence against Allen to justify his stay in prison, but the judge considered it unnecessary to continue, given that the accused had already accepted the measure.
The magistrate recalled that later, in the judicial process, the accused could challenge his imprisonment. Allen’s next hearing has been scheduled for May 11.
Locked in his cell for 24 hours
The defendant’s lawyers asked the judge to modify the prison conditions of Allen, who remains confined 24 hours a day in an isolation cell, a measure they consider disproportionate.nothing. The magistrate, however, responded that she lacks authority on this matter.
“There is no reason he should be in solitary confinement. He did not say or do anything wrong during his admission. He does not represent any danger to anyone in prison,” declared defense lawyer Texira Abe.
For her part, the District of Columbia prosecutor, Jeanine Pirro, close to Trump, presented a memorandum on Wednesday in which she maintained that “There are no conditions that guarantee the safety of the community” if Allen leaves prison.
Pirro called Allen’s plot “extreme political violence” and warned that the consequences of his attempted attack could have been “far-reaching,” given that his targets were Trump and members of the Government.
Accused of attempted assassination
Allen currently faces a charge of trying to kill the president, a crime that can carry a life sentence, and two others related to the transportation and use of weapons, although the prosecutor’s office announced this Thursday that it plans to file “many more” charges against him.
The accused tried to break into the lounge of the Washington Hilton hotel in the capital, where a gala was being held with the presence of Trump, the first lady, Melania; Vice President, JD Vance; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson; and several members of the Government.
There were also about 2,000 guests in the room, between journalists, diplomats and businessmen.
According to the prosecution’s account, Allen ran at high speed, bypassed the metal arch of a security checkpoint, He walked towards the stairs leading to the ballroom and fired a shotgun.
Secret Service agents responded with five shots and Allen He fell to the ground and was reduced, although he did not suffer gunshot wounds.
The incident left no victims, although the shots caused the evacuation of Trump and the rest of the authorities, in addition to unleashing panic among some of the attendees.
The accused left several emails scheduled before the attack in which he apologized to family and friends and detailed that his target was members of the Trump Administration and the president himself, whom he called a “pedophile, rapist and traitor.”
According to court documents, Allen planned the attack for weeks and crossed the country by train, from California to Washington, to be able to travel armed – he carried a shotgun, a pistol, knives and daggers – without going through airport security checkpoints.
In addition, he reserved two nights at the hotel where the gala was being held to be able to enter the facilities as a guest, the only ones who could access the hotel during the day of the dinner.
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Eduard Ribas i Admetlla
Keep reading:
- How the attacker could get so close to Trump and other questions raised by the shooting at the dinner correspondents
- Trump confirms he is safe after being evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
- Trump evacuated after shots fired at White House correspondents’ dinner
- Donald Trump steals the spotlight during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
