Shots heard at White House correspondents dinner; Trump safe after being evacuated

[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump and officials in his administration were the likely targets of a suspect who fired on a security agent guarding the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, Acting Attorney-General Todd Blanche said on Sunday (Apr 26).

The man fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent at a checkpoint in the Washington Hilton hotel before being tackled and arrested on Saturday. Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the dinner.

“It does appear that he did, in fact, set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC News’ Meet the Press, adding that the suspect likely travelled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington.

The suspect will be charged in federal court on Monday with assault of a federal officer, discharging a firearm and attempting to kill a federal officer, Blanche said, adding that he did not know if there was an Iran connection to the attack.

At a briefing at the White House after the attack, Trump told reporters that the Secret Service agent was saved by his bulletproof vest and was in “good shape”. US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi confirmed the officer had been released from hospital.

Trump also told reporters he believed that he was the target of the attack. The president has survived two previous attempts on his life since 2024, a period of deepening political polarisation in the United States.

Around the world, leaders condemned the attack, adding they were relieved that Trump and all present were safe and expressing their solidarity with the US.

Nato leader Mark Rutte called it an attack “on our free and open societies”, and leaders stressed violence had no place in a democracy.

Suspect thought to be “lone wolf”

A law enforcement official identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, a Los Angeles-area resident about 31 years of age. Little was immediately known about his background, but social media postings suggested he was a teacher in Torrance, California, near Los Angeles.

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Washington interim police chief Jeffery Carroll said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. He was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated, but it was too soon to say what his motivation was, Carroll said.

Based on preliminary information, he was believed to have been a guest at the hotel, he added.

The chaotic events from around 8.35 pm local time raised fresh questions about the security of top US officials, many of whom were gathered in the hotel’s expansive ballroom.

A focus of the investigation is likely to be how the gunman was able to smuggle the shotgun into the hotel, which hosts the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, a marquee fixture of Washington’s social calendar.

The black-tie event was attended by many members of Trump’s Cabinet and other senior administration officials amid heavy security. It was the first time Trump was attending the event as president, having boycotted it in previous years.

Afterwards, Trump addressed reporters, many still in evening attire, in an extraordinary late-night press conference in the White House briefing room, flanked by members of his Cabinet and Vice-President JD Vance. His wife, Melania, looked on from the sidelines and demurred when he asked her whether she wanted to talk about the events of the evening.

The venue for the dinner was the scene of an attempt on the life of president Ronald Reagan, who was shot and wounded by a would-be assassin outside the hotel in 1981.

Closed-circuit TV footage released by Trump on Truth Social showed the suspect running rapidly through a security checkpoint, momentarily catching security personnel off-guard before they drew their weapons.

No shots were fired at the gunman, who got through two checkpoints before being brought down.

“You know, he charged from 50 yards away, so he was very far away from the room. He was moving. He was really moving,” Trump said after the gala dinner was cancelled.

Officials believe he is a “lone wolf”, Trump said.

How it unfolded

Video footage of the event shows Trump and his wife sitting at a banquet table on stage in conversation with someone when a commotion at the rear of the ballroom – caused by the noise of gunshots – triggers a ripple of gasps through the room.

People started screaming, “Get down, get down!” Many of the 2,600 attendees dressed in tuxedos and ballgowns took cover under tables as security personnel drew their weapons, with some pushing Cabinet secretaries to the floor and covering them with their bodies while others formed a protective cordon.

Security personnel in combat fatigues stormed the stage pointing rifles into the ballroom as Trump, his wife and Vance were evacuated. Cabinet members who had been sitting at tables dotted around the vast room were escorted out by their security details one by one.

While most guests huddled under tables, some people began chanting “USA, USA”.

Trump stayed backstage for about one hour after being hustled from the stage, a source told Reuters. He later said he had not wanted to leave the event, a remark that echoed images of him defiantly pumping his fist after narrowly escaping an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024.

In that attempt, Trump was shot and wounded in his upper ear by a 20-year-old gunman, who was shot dead by security personnel.

Just over two months after the Butler shooting, Secret Service agents spotted a man wielding a gun and hiding in bushes at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Trump was on the course. It was deemed an assassination attempt, and the suspect was sentenced to life in prison in February. REUTERS

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