Washington, April 28 (QNA) - US prosecutors have charged Cole Thomas Allen with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, along with two firearm-related counts. A court ordered Allen to remain in custody pending further hearings.

Authorities said Allen attempted to storm the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday night, causing a disruption that forced Secret Service agents to rush the president from the ballroom.

During the hearing, Allen sat beside his legal counsel and did not make a statement, according to The Associated Press. One of his attorneys requested a detention hearing, noting that Allen has no prior criminal record. "He is presumed innocent at this time," she said.

While prosecutors have not yet disclosed a specific motive, investigators said Allen's writings, social media posts, and statements from family members provide “the clearest evidence of his mindset.” In messages sent to his family just minutes before the breach, Allen reportedly criticized several of the president's recent policies.

Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said in a televised interview that Allen appeared to have intended to target senior administration officials, “including, likely, the president.”

Secret Service personnel whisked Trump away on Saturday night after the sound of gunfire was heard. About an hour after his evacuation, the president posted on Truth Social that the "shooter has been captured." (QNA)