Washington: Federal authorities on Thursday made public surveillance footage of the individual accused of attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump during last weekend's White House Correspondents' Dinner. The video captures the suspect breaching a security perimeter at the Washington Hilton and firing upon a Secret Service agent.

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, announced on social media that the released records also depict the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, conducting reconnaissance within the hotel the day prior to Saturday’s assault at the high-profile media event.

The nearly six-minute compilation includes segments of a man traversing hotel corridors and a fitness centre. A particularly stark sequence shows the individual, brandishing a long-barreled firearm, charging through a magnetometer checkpoint past uniformed officers and plainclothes agents.

Pirro stated that the footage confirms "Cole Allen shoot a U.S. Secret Service officer during his attempt to assassinate the President at the White House Correspondents' Dinner." She further clarified that the evidence, which has been submitted to the U.S. District Court, provides "no evidence the shooting was the result of friendly fire."

Chaos at the Hilton

The visual evidence appears to show a Secret Service agent discharging a service weapon three times toward the attacker. Law enforcement officials have noted that while muzzle flashes and blasts are highlighted in slow-motion segments of the video, Allen himself was not struck by the gunfire.

Allen, a resident of Torrance, California, was apprehended following a violent struggle with security personnel at the scene. Although shots were fired—with one agent reportedly hit in his ballistic vest—no fatalities occurred. The released footage does not include the moment of Allen's capture, and the specific identity of the injured officer is not immediately discernible from the clips.

Legal Proceedings

The suspect was formally charged on Monday with the attempted assassination of the Republican president, among other firearms-related counts. Allen, who reportedly referred to himself as a "friendly federal assassin" in an email sent to his family shortly before the attack, remains in custody. If convicted of the capital charge, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

President Trump was seated at the head table inside the ballroom when the gunfire erupted near the Terrace Level entrance. He was quickly evacuated by his detail and was not harmed in the incident.

The Department of Justice continues to investigate the scope of the plot, with additional charges expected as the case moves forward in federal court.

With inputs from PTI