Cole Allen was charged with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump on Monday, two days after seeking to enter the White House Correspondents' Dinner while heavily armed.
Federal prosecutors also accused Allen of interstate transportation of weapons and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime.
They went on to say that he arrived in Washington, D.C., armed with several deadly weapon, including a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol. He also had three knives on him.
Allen's preliminary hearing has been set for May 11. He will remain in custody, and on Thursday there will be another hearing to determine if he's eligible for any type of pretrial release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine argued against the possibility, saying "he ttempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump." "We are asking the court to preventatively detain Mr. Allen," she added.
Before making his way to the capital, Allen wrote to family members about the "rage" he felt toward the Trump administration.
"I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done," Allen stated, based on transcripts provided to the network. "I don't expect forgiveness. Again, my sincere apologies."
The writing also detailed Allen's plans for targeting officials inside the dinner: "Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest," a passage of the letter read.
The Associated Press reported that the message also used a jarringly friendly tone. Allen described himself as the "Friendly Federal Assassin" and opened with a seemingly upbeat "hello everybody!"
CBS News also reported that Allen had a room on the tenth floor of the hotel where the White House Correspondents' dinner was being held.
According to the network, Allen used a stairwell to avoid security and, once on the event floor, ran through the final security checkpoint in a desperate attempt to access the dinner. An exchange of fire between Allen and security then ensued, with one officer being struck but not seriously injured due to a bulletproof vest. He was then tackled and subdued.
Trump called Allen a "thug" who "attacked our Constitution." "He's a sick person, a very sick person, and we don't want things like this to happen," he added on Saturday night.
