WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui held a hearing in Washington, D.C., on May 4, 2026, to review the jail treatment of Cole Allen, who was arrested April 25, 2026, on charges of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. The charge carries a sentence of up to life in prison.

Allen, a 31-year-old teacher and engineer from California, appeared in an orange jumpsuit, scanned the room as he entered and occasionally nodded along with the proceedings. He had conceded to detention ahead of a detention hearing.

Eugene Ohm, a federal public defender, said Allen had been placed in a padded cell in 24-hour lockdown with constant lighting. Allen had been placed on suicide precautions in a D.C. jail and was later removed from those conditions.

Faruqui questioned the restrictions imposed on Allen relative to other inmates. "You house people who have been found guilty of killing people. How can those people have less restrictive conditions than he does?" Faruqui said. The judge said he would ensure that Allen received a Bible and legal papers in jail.

Faruqui also referenced the prosecutions stemming from the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. "A lot of people seem to have forgotten about Jan. 6 but I have not," he said. "Pardons may erase convictions but they do not erase history," he added.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine cited statements Allen made to the FBI after his April 25, 2026, arrest, in which he said he did not expect to survive the incident. "It's clear he did not expect to survive it, which gives rise to potential concern for suicide," Ballantine said.

Federal prosecutors released video showing a man identified as Allen charging through a magnetometer and raising his weapon at an officer, who shot at but did not strike him. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said a Secret Service officer had a buckshot pellet from Allen's shotgun embedded in his bulletproof vest.