Suspect charged with attempted assassination of Trump at Washington dinner

(BBC): A California man has been charged with attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump in an incident that has sparked a White House security review.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was also charged with two firearms offences when he appeared in court in Washington DC on Monday. He did not enter a plea.

He was carrying a semi-automatic handgun, a pump-action shotgun and three knives as he charged past a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday, say prosecutors.

A Secret Service agent was hit but not seriously wounded during the attack at a hotel. The accused faces life in prison if found guilty.

Dressed in a blue jumpsuit with a nametag, the suspect appeared calm at Monday's court appearance in the nation's capital.

He was softly spoken as he answered almost every question from the judge with either "yes, your honour" or "no, your honour".

He stated his age and said he had a master's degree.