Suspect will be charged in federal court on Monday, says US Acting AG Todd Blanche
\n washington
\nPresident 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\u2019 Association dinner in Washington, US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday.
\nThe man fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint in the Washington Hilton hotel before being tackled and arrested. Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the dinner.
\n\u201cIt does appear that he, he did, in fact, have set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president,\u201d Blanche told NBC News\u2019 \u201cMeet the Press,\u201d adding that the suspect likely travelled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington.
\nThe 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 he did not know if there was an Iran connection to the attack.<\/p>\n
Condemnation of shooting
\nTrump told reporters at a late-night White House briefing that he believed he was the target of the attack. He said the Secret Service officer was saved by his bulletproof vest and was in \u201cgood shape.\u201d
\nUS Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi confirmed the officer had been released from a hospital.
\nAround the world, leaders condemned the attack, and expressed relief that Trump and all present were safe, demonstrating solidarity with the United States. Nato leader Mark Rutte called it an attack \u201con our free and open societies\u201d and leaders stressed violence had no place in a democracy.
\nThe British embassy, which is preparing for King Charles\u2019 visit to Washington starting on Monday, said in a statement that discussions were taking place on whether the incident may affect planning for the visit.
\nSuspect thought to be \u2018lone wolf\u2019, says Trump
\nA law enforcement official identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, a California resident about 31 years old. Little was immediately known about Allen\u2019s background, but social media postings suggested he was a teacher in Torrance, near Los Angeles.
\nWashington 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.
\nBased on preliminary information, he was believed to have been a guest at the hotel, Carroll added.
\nThe chaotic events from around 8:35pm (local time) raised fresh questions about the security of top US officials, many of whom were gathered in the hotel\u2019s expansive ballroom.
\nA 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\u2019 Association dinner, a marquee fixture of Washington\u2019s social calendar.
\nThe black-tie event was attended by many members of Trump\u2019s cabinet and other senior administration officials amid heavy security. It was the first time Trump attended the event as president, having boycotted it in previous years.
\nThe site of 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.
\nClosed-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.
\nNo shots were fired at the gunman who got through two checkpoints before being brought down.
\n\u201cYou know, he charged from 50 yards away, so he was very far away from the room. He was moving. He was really moving,\u201d Trump said after the gala dinner was cancelled.
\nOfficials believe he is a \u201clone wolf,\u201d Trump said.
\nHow it unfolded
\nVideo footage 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 \u2014 caused by the noise of gunshots \u2014 triggers a ripple of gasps through the room.
\nPeople started screaming, \u201cGet down, get down!\u201d Many of the 2,600 attendees dressed in tuxedos and ball gowns 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.
\nSecurity personnel in combat fatigues stormed the stage pointing rifles into the ballroom as Trump, his wife Melania and Vice President JD 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.
\nWhile most guests crouched down below table level, some people began chanting \u201cUSA, USA!\u201d
\nTrump stayed backstage for about an 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.
\nIn that attempt, Trump was wounded in his upper ear by a 20-year-old gunman, who was shot dead by security personnel.
\nJust over two months after the Butler shooting, Secret Service agents spotted a man wielding a gun while 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Suspect will be charged in federal court on Monday, says US Acting AG Todd Blanche washington 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\u2019 Association dinner in Washington, US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":543396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-543386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n