A grand jury approved a fourth count against Cole Tomas Allen, who prosecutors say wounded a federal officer while attempting to kill President Trump.
A federal grand jury on Tuesday returned a four-count indictment against Cole Tomas Allen, the man accused of rushing a security point at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in an attempt to kill President Trump.
The indictment charged Mr. Allen with assaulting a federal agent, indicating that prosecutors now believe Mr. Allen wounded a secret service officer who was shot during the incident, as officers scrambled to secure the annual press gala.
The Justice Department had charged Mr. Allen with attempting to assassinate the president, transporting guns with the intent to commit a felony, and firing a shotgun. But it had stopped short of accusing him of shooting the officer, who was hit in his ballistic vest and survived.
Prosecutors say that Mr. Allen, 31, traveled from California in April with plans to ambush Mr. Trump and other senior administration officials as they mingled with journalists at the dinner.
In an email Mr. Allen is said to have sent to friends and family before the attack, he laid out a hierarchy of potential targets, prioritizing cabinet officials and including Secret Service agents “only if necessary.”
In court filings in April, prosecutors accused Mr. Allen of booking a room in the Washington Hilton, where the event has been held for decades, and plotting the attack ahead of the dinner. Video and photos submitted by the government appeared to show Mr. Allen storming into the area the dinner was being held armed with a shotgun, a pistol and several knives. He was immediately tackled and arrested.