Six minutes about the suspect in the attempted assassination of Trump: what surveillance cameras revealed
The Department of Justice released a video of the suspect in the attempted assassination of Trump as captured by surveillance cameras at the Hilton Washington DC National Mall The Wharf.
The footage, recorded last week, shows the suspect forcing his way through a security checkpoint at the Hilton hotel and opening fire on an agent of the United States Secret Service.
Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, stated on X that the surveillance footage also shows the suspect, Cole Allen, “scouting the area” at the Hilton hotel the day before the attack that took place on Saturday during the annual dinner for White House correspondents.
The video, approximately six minutes long, includes scenes of a man walking back and forth in a corridor and passing through a fitness center.
One scene shows the man carrying what appears to be a long-barreled rifle as he rushes through a security checkpoint, bypassing uniformed police officers and Secret Service agents in suits.
Jeanine Pirro said the video shows “Cole Allen firing at a Secret Service agent during his attempt to assassinate the president at the White House correspondents’ dinner.”
She added, “There is no evidence that the shooting resulted from friendly fire,” noting that the video was submitted to the court.
The footage shows a Secret Service agent firing three shots toward the attacker, although police confirmed that Allen was not struck by gunfire during the attack.
In a slow-motion clip released by the Department of Justice, white circles were placed around an agent’s weapon at the three moments when muzzle flashes were visible.
The 31-year-old man was subdued after a chaotic struggle with security personnel. Shots were fired, but no one was killed.
The moment of his arrest does not appear in the video released on Thursday, and it was not immediately clear from the footage who the person shot at was.
On Monday, U.S. prosecutors charged Allen with attempting to assassinate the Republican president. He faces life imprisonment if convicted.
