A federal magistrate judge in Washington expressed serious concerns Monday about the detention conditions of Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old man charged with attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

During a hearing before Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui, questions were raised about Allen’s treatment while awaiting further court proceedings. Allen’s legal team had alerted the court over the weekend that he had been placed on suicide watch without receiving a full psychiatric evaluation and had been confined in near solitary conditions for as many as 23 hours each day. Additionally, Allen was reportedly denied access to several basic privileges, including nonlegal phone calls, visits, and even a Bible.

At the hearing, Tony Towns, representing the D.C. Department of Corrections, testified that Allen’s psychiatric evaluation had followed routine procedures, though no final decision had yet been made regarding his housing status. Faruqui probed the handling of Allen’s case and highlighted the seeming severity of his confinement, describing it as “effectively solitary confinement.” The judge also expressed particular concern over the restrictions placed on Allen in the absence of a prior criminal record.

Faruqui contrasted Allen’s detention with that of many individuals convicted of violent offenses from the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, noting that those detainees were generally placed in lower security environments and subjected to fewer suicide prevention measures. “He’s been treated completely differently than anyone I’ve ever seen,” Faruqui said, characterizing Allen’s conditions as “the most punitive, harshest” despite his lack of a criminal history.

Allen appeared subdued throughout the hearing, dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit and sitting beside his attorneys. At the conclusion, Faruqui urged Allen to notify the court if his detention conditions failed to improve, a request that Allen acknowledged with a nod.

The judge ordered the Department of Corrections to provide an update on Allen’s housing status by Tuesday, seeking clarity on any forthcoming adjustments to his treatment.

Allen faces federal charges stemming from allegations that he attempted to assassinate Trump and other senior officials at the White House gala. Prosecutors have also accused Allen of transporting firearms, including a pump-action shotgun, from California to Washington, D.C., and plotting a targeted sequence of attacks on top government figures. Following his initial court appearance last week, Allen’s next scheduled hearing was set for later in May before being expedited in response to concerns about his detention conditions.