The director of the Secret Service and the federal prosecutor in Washington assured that the agent who was shot in his bulletproof vest in the arrest operation of the attacker Cole Allen was not a victim of 'friendly fire', as some media had pointed out. The suspect appeared before a judge on April 30 and chose to continue the trial while deprived of his liberty.

First modification: 05/01/2026 - 05:10

The Secret Service and the Prosecutor's Office released details about how the attempted attack at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel was neutralized.

The director of the federal agency, Sean Curran, explained in an interview with Fox News what the actions of his men were during the event that occurred last Saturday, April 25, in which a man tried to enter armed and attack senior officials of the Trump Administration and the president himself.

According to the official, a member of the agency was shot "at close range" by the suspect, Cole Allen, while the 31-year-old man was running through a security checkpoint, near the room where the dinner in which the president was participating was being held.

"Our officer responded heroically to the fire," Curran said.

The official version given by the Secret Service indicates that Allen was subdued by other agents near some stairs that lead to the room, where at least 2,000 guests were present.

The story coincides with the testimony of a senior Administration official who spoke to the Reuters agency anonymously and stated that the investigations concluded that the agent who was injured in the middle of the events was not a victim of 'friendly fire'.

Likewise, this Thursday the federal prosecutor for Washington, Jeanine Pirro, whose office is in charge of the prosecution, published a video on her X account showing the previous moments and Allen's untimely entry into the corridor, before being detained by members of the security forces.

The video, however, does not reveal the exact moment in which the attacker allegedly shot the officer nor does it show him clearly pointing his gun at him.

To display this content from X (Twitter), you must allow audience measurement and advertising cookies.

The Justice Department official made it clear that “there is no evidence that the shooting was the result of friendly fire.”

Even President Trump joined Curran and Pirro's claims, in statements offered in the Oval Office: "they said it wasn't friendly fire. It wasn't us."

The clarifications from the prosecuting body and the Secret Service come after some media outlets indicated that it was possible that the shot the agent received had not come from the shotgun that Allen had with him, but from the weapon of another member of the Secret Service who reacted to contain the suspect.

The speculation arose from the fact that the indictment filed on April 29 stated that an agent had fired five shots, but did not include references to him being shot himself or that Allen had pointed or detonated his weapon at members of the Secret Service.

The point, according to judicial experts, could change the course of the trial the defendant faces.

Cole Allen agrees to remain in prison during trial

Allen, who is accused of trying to assassinate the president, appeared this Thursday at a hearing before a federal judge in the District of Columbia.

The 31-year-old professor and engineer announced his resignation from challenging his stay in a detention center, a precautionary measure that had been requested by the Prosecutor's Office, despite the fact that his defense had previously requested release on bail pending trial.

In this way, the accused will continue in prison, confined 24 hours a day in an isolation cell.

That situation has been questioned by his defending team. "There is no reason why he should be in solitary confinement. He did not say or do anything wrong during his stay. He poses no danger to anyone in prison," said defense attorney Texira Abe.

Prosecutor Pirro, for her part, has insisted on her argument that Allen committed an act of “extreme political violence.”

Consequently, the suspect is currently facing charges of attempting to kill the head of state, a crime whose penalty could carry life imprisonment, and committing violations related to the transportation and use of weapons.

His defense, however, has assured that the prosecution's case is based on "inferences" and "speculation," since Allen did not explicitly mention Trump in the manifestos he sent to family and friends.

With EFE, Reuters and AP

Related keywords

The content you requested does not exist or is no longer available.