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The suspect accused in the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner shooting made an initial appearance in federal court Monday, marking the first time the alleged would-be assassin heard the charges filed against him by prosecutors. 

Cole Allen, 31, from Torrance, California, is accused of storming the Washington Hilton while armed with multiple weapons, and attempting to penetrate the ballroom in which President Donald Trump sat amongst Cabinet officials and hundreds of journalists Saturday night. 

Allen appeared in federal court Monday wearing a blue prison jumpsuit to face charges of attempting to assassinate the President of the United States, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence and transporting a firearm across state lines, according to the Department of Justice. 

He has not yet entered a plea and will remain in custody.

WHO IS COLE ALLEN? CALIFORNIA MAN NAMED AS SUSPECT IN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER SHOOTING

Monday’s court appearance is separate from Cole’s arraignment, with the judge scheduling a detention hearing for April 30 and a preliminary hearing for May 11. 

Allen is accused of traveling by train from California to Washington, D.C., while making one stop in Chicago, and checking into the hotel just one day before the planned event.

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Shortly before the alleged shooting, authorities said Allen sent a written manifesto to members of his family, outlining his intent to target Trump and other Cabinet officials. 

Within 30 minutes of the gala starting, Allen allegedly stormed the hotel lobby, equipped with a shotgun, handgun and knives, and breached security barricades that had been erected just one floor above the VIP-filled International Ballroom.

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One Secret Service agent was struck by gunfire in a ballistic vest, and Allen was subsequently tackled by officers and taken into custody. 

Allen was not injured, but was transported to a hospital to be evaluated. The Secret Service agent was also taken to receive medical treatment and is recovering.

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The chaos was heard from inside the packed ballroom, with the 2,300 attendees taking cover under their tables as Trump and Vice President JD Vance were whisked away by security. 

Approximately one hour later, Trump announced that law enforcement had asked attendees to evacuate the building, which was consistent with protocol, adding the event would be rescheduled within 30 days.

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After the shooting, Allen’s brother contacted the New London Police Department in Connecticut to report receiving his brother’s alleged manifesto. 

The police said in a statement they were contacted at 10:49 p.m. by someone who wanted to share information related to it, and the department said it then immediately alerted federal law enforcement, the Associated Press reported.

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Allen faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted on the attempted assassination charge, with the two firearms charges carrying a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Allen’s defense team and federal prosecutors for comment.

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The FBI has joined the search for a missing Southern California grandfather as authorities escalate what is now being treated as a kidnapping investigation tied to a troubling web of fraud, impersonation and possible targeting linked to cryptocurrency wealth.

Nai Ping Hou, 74, vanished in March 2025 from his Rancho Cucamonga home and was reported missing weeks later on May 4.

Federal officials say possible foul play is suspected, noting Hou’s bank accounts were depleted before law enforcement was even notified of his disappearance.

Investigators with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department initially described the case as a suspicious disappearance but now say evidence points to a possible abduction.

NANCY GUTHRIE’S DISAPPEARANCE DEFIES FBI KIDNAPPING TRENDS INVOLVING ELDERLY VICTIMS

Hou’s son Wen Hou said the last time he saw his father was during a fishing trip in March, just days before he disappeared.

“He was in a very good mood,” Wen Hou told KTLA. “He caught a lot of fish. His friends were there, too. He was very happy.”

‘AMERICA’S MOST WANTED’ CO-HOST CALLAHAN WALSH REVEALS WHAT ‘STICKS OUT’ TO HIM IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE

But weeks later, subtle changes raised alarm.

“[Always saying] he’s tired or he’ll call me later, just reasons that were strange,” he said. “He had very short responses and didn’t share photos anymore.”

Wen Hou said the moment it truly set in came when his father stopped answering calls altogether and sent an unusually cold message on his birthday.

MAN WHO PUT UP $100K TO FIND NANCY GUTHRIE SAYS TIPSTERS SHOULD SKIP THE SHERIFF AND CALL CRIME STOPPERS

“It’s surreal to think someone could be impersonating my dad through text,” he previously told KABC.

The family said that’s when they realized something was seriously wrong and grew deeply concerned for his safety.

When friends went to check on Hou’s home in early May, they found it had been completely cleared out.

BORDER PROTOCOLS AUTOMATICALLY TRIGGERED IN SEARCH FOR NANCY GUTHRIE, RETIRED AGENT SAYS

“Something really bizarre is going on,” Wen Hou said. “The place was completely cleared out. No people, no vehicles, not even garbage left behind.”

Investigators later confirmed “extensive fraudulent activity” in Hou’s bank accounts around the time of his disappearance. More than $1 million was drained through unauthorized transactions, including purchases of gold and cryptocurrency.

“His money was also gone,” Wen Hou said. “Funds were being transferred out to purchase gold online. He’s not tech-savvy at all, so I don’t know how he could’ve done any of that himself.”

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Authorities say Hou’s vehicles were also sold and there was an apparent attempt to rent out his home.

Hou’s wife was out of the country visiting family in China at the time he vanished and received unusual messages from his phone, including one suggesting she delay returning home.

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While investigators have not confirmed a motive, the family has told KABC they fear Hou may have been targeted because of their financial success in cryptocurrency. Wen Hou is a hedge fund executive who has invested heavily in the space.

“I miss him dearly,” Wen Hou said. “He’s always been a guiding presence in my life.”

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“We’re really worried, and we really want my dad back,” he added.

Hou is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 170 pounds, with dark hair and a birthmark on his upper left shoulder. He also has a surgery scar on his lower back. He has not been seen or heard from since March 2025.

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Investigators are also seeking information about a silver Toyota Yaris believed to be connected to the case.

The Hou family has launched a dedicated website to raise awareness, share photos and collect tips. The site includes a video message in which Wen Hou makes an emotional plea for his father’s safe return.

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A reward of up to $250,000 is being offered for information leading to Hou’s safe return or the arrest of those responsible.

Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department or the FBI.

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The blood spatter on Nancy Guthrie’s front porch suggests a single abductor took her out of her home, according to a former FBI profiler.

“If there was no blood spatter pattern inside the house, then outside by the front door or while she was going through the door this is where she put up a fight or refused to go any further,” retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jim Clemente told Fox News Digital Monday.

“This is where she was assaulted. Most likely struck in the nose or mouth. She fell to her knees or on the ground, aspirated, then coughed up blood, which also dripped around the same spot.”

EMAILS REVEAL REALITY TV CREW’S BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCESS TOS HERIFF NOW LEADING NANCY GUTHRIE PROBE

Guthrie is the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie. She had lived in her home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills neighborhood for decades before vanishing under suspicious circumstances on Feb. 1.

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Sources with knowledge of the case previously told Fox News Digital there were no signs of a struggle inside. A masked intruder appeared on doorbell camera video taken at Guthrie’s front porch, and her back door was found propped open. Authorities have said they have not ruled out the possibility that multiple people could have been involved in her suspected kidnapping.

DNA TESTING IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE COULD TAKE MONTHS BUT MAY BE FAST-TRACKED, EXPERT SAYS

Clemente said he believes her abductor then carried her away with her face up, which limited additional blood spatter. Video taken after local authorities released the crime scene shows a concentration of blood drops near the mat at her front door. The trail grows thin and ends where her front walkway meets the edge of the driveway.

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“It rules out more than one person because if two people had control of her as they were leaving the house she would never have fallen to the ground,” he said. “They would have been in control of her body and prevented her from resisting and fighting and falling after she was struck in the face.”

She likely had her face down near the front door where images show the most blood, he said.

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“The larger droplets are low-velocity blood spatter that fell directly out of her mouth,” he said. “Her face was facing downward when she coughed up the medium velocity small droplets, and it was within inches of the ground facing straight down.”

There’s no indication of “cast off” blood spatter, he said, which appears when blood is flung off of a moving object.

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“The lack of directionality of the blood splatter says that those drops fell straight down, and she wasn’t moving fast,” he said. “So there is a contradiction in the evidence. I believe this was caused by the fact that she was carried from that first location to the car with her face up so only a minimum amount of blood was deposited on the walkway.”

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He said it doesn’t look like she was dragged and believes she had been struck in the face with a fist or possibly the butt of the suspect’s handgun.

“This was not done very quickly because if it had been, the blood should’ve had a tail moving the direction that she was traveling,” he said.

Dr. Michael Baden, a famed forensic pathologist, previously told Fox News Digital he suspected the blood drops came from Guthrie’s hands or face.

“The nature of the blood spots with little pale centers or donut shapes are typical for drops that come from the nose or mouth, because they’re mixed with air,” he said in February.

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“These are not innocent droplets,” he added. “From the shape, number of droplets and the place of the droplets outside the house on the porch, they are entirely consistent and indicative of occurring during an abduction.” 

Anyone with information is asked to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI. There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information that cracks the case.

Fox News’ Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.

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A mother from an affluent Boston suburb was arrested in Vermont after police say she killed her two young children.

Janette MacAusland, 49, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, was taken into custody by police in Bennington, Vermont on Friday night after she arrived at a family home in that town “appearing highly distraught,” and having a visible, bloody neck injury.

“Officers attempted to engage her in conversation and, during the interaction, became increasingly concerned for the welfare of her children,” the Bennington Police Department said in a release.

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Police say they contacted Wellesley authorities for a welfare check at her Massachusetts home. When Wellesley police arrived on the scene, they made a grisly discovery. They say MacAusland’s two children were found dead.

They took MacAusland into custody as a fugitive from justice, and said Massachusetts issued a criminal warrant for two counts of murder. She is being held in the Marble Valley Correctional Facility in Vermont and will be arraigned Monday afternoon at Rutland Criminal Division court.

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The court said it did not know whether Rutland has an attorney.

MacAusland’s husband, Samuel MacAusland, filed for divorce in October after nine years of marriage, citing an “irretrievable breakdown of the marriage,” court records show. Those documents also list their two children, seven-year-old Kai and six-year-old Ella. Samuel was seeking custody of the children.

The children attended Schofield Elementary School.

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“We were devastated to learn of the tragic death of two of our WPS students, a second-grader and kindergartener at Schofield Elementary School,” Wellesley Public schools said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.

“This is an unimaginable loss that will be deeply felt not just at Schofield but across our entire community. Our crisis team is planning support for students, staff, and families as we prepare for the reopening of school on Monday. I ask that we all keep this family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

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A Florida man accused of killing two University of South Florida graduate students allegedly asked ChatGPT about hiding a body in a dumpster days before the double murders, according to court documents.

Hisham Abugharbieh, a 26-year-old telemarketer, is accused of killing his 27-year-old roommate Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, Limon’s girlfriend and also 27.

According to a bail filing from Tampa-area prosecutors Saturday, Abugharbieh asked the AI what would happen if someone threw a bag full of human remains in a dumpster. When ChatGPT told him the idea sounded dangerous, the suspect allegedly countered, “How would they find out?”

BARRICADED SUSPECT FACES MURDER CHARGES AFTER 2 DOCTORAL STUDENTS VANISHED FROM CAMPUS, 1 REMAINS MISSING

Later searches also raised red flags to deputies, according to the filing. He allegedly asked about changing a car’s vehicle identification number and whether it’s legal to keep an unlicensed firearm at home.

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“Has there been someone who survived a sniper bullet to the head?” reads another query. “Will my neighbors hear my gun?”

Police recovered Limon’s student ID, glasses and credit cards in a dumpster near the apartment he shared with Abugharbieh. They also found a CVS receipt for trash bags, Lysol wipes and Febreze — and bloody clothes. Deputies later found similar bags under the suspect’s bed, in the dumpster, and containing Limon’s body.

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His remains were later recovered in a black plastic bag near the Howard Frankland Bridge, which connects Tampa to St. Petersburg. He had been stabbed repeatedly.

Before police had a search warrant for the suspect’s phone, they said he gave conflicting stories. The filing states they were also able to trace his car to the Clearwater area with traffic cameras.

A search of Abugharbieh’s phone revealed he’d been on the bridge around 1:30 a.m. on April 17, prosecutors wrote. He allegedly stopped for several minutes and used the flashlight tool on his phone.

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Bristy’s whereabouts remained unknown when the bail application was filed Saturday, but authorities found her shoes and purse inside the apartment, according to court documents. On Sunday, deputies recovered another set of human remains. The Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office was working to identify them.

The two were reported missing on April 17 after a mutual friend couldn’t find or get in touch with them.

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After barricading himself in a home for over an hour Friday morning, Abugharbieh eventually surrendered to police wearing only a towel, as seen on aerial video of the incident.

Court records show Abugharbieh had violent priors. In addition to battery and burglary charges in 2023, he had two violence cases, in 2023 and 2025. His mother told deputies he had anger management issues, according to court filings. In the 2025 incident, his brother claimed to have been punched in the face before Abugharbieh kicked their mother in the back.

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“He trashed the living room in one of his frequent violent tantrums just a couple days prior,” the brother wrote in a request for a restraining order. “I live with my mom and [four] younger siblings who don’t want him to return.”

He faces charges that include battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, unlawfully moving a dead body, failing to report a death, and two counts of first-degree murder.

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He is being held without bail at the Falkenburg Road Jail near Tampa. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.