Washington dinner shooting suspect pleads not guilty

A man charged with attacking the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington DC last month has pleaded not guilty. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was charged with federal gun crimes and attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump.The gun charges include using a firearm during a crime of violence and interstate transportation of a firearm with intent to commit a felony.Allen appeared in court on Monday in an orange jumpsuit and was shackled at the wrists and feet, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.Prosecutors allege that Allen attempted to storm past a security checkpoint and fired a shot at a US Secret Service agent at the event at a Washington Hilton hotel. The federal agent was hit in an exchange of gunfire but was saved by his bullet-proof vest.Agents tackled Allen just short of a staircase that leads down to a ballroom where the annual White House Correspondents' dinner - attended by journalists, Trump and many top US officials - was getting under way.The US president, Vice-President JD Vance, cabinet members, and a number of White House officials were rushed from the Washington Hilton hotel ballroom after the gunshots rang out.Allen's appearance in court on Monday was his first time standing before US District Judge Trevor McFadden, who will preside over the remainder of the case.