US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night after gunfire disrupted Washington’s most high-profile media event of the year.
The shots rang out at the Washington Hilton ballroom shortly before midnight, sending guests diving under tables as Secret Service agents moved Mr Trump and other protected officials to safety. Witnesses described several rounds being fired before agents secured the room.
The Secret Service later confirmed that the President, the First Lady and all other protected officials were unharmed. Mr Trump posted on Truth Social that the suspected shooter had been apprehended, and praised what he called the “swift and courageous” response of law enforcement on the scene.
No casualty figures or motive have been released. Federal investigators are leading the inquiry, and the Washington Hilton remained closed to the public early Sunday as forensic teams worked the ballroom.
In a follow-up post on social media early Sunday, Mr Trump released what he described as CCTV footage and a photograph of the suspect now in custody, saying he was sharing the material “in the interest of transparency.” He said the footage appears to show the start of the shooting near the venue’s security screening area. The President also said a Secret Service officer was shot from close range during the incident but was saved by a bullet-proof vest, and that he had since spoken with the officer, who was “in high spirits”, Newswire reported. Mr Trump added that the incident “won’t deter him from winning the Iran war”, and that several weapons had been recovered from the suspect.
US news outlets later identified the suspect, citing law enforcement sources, as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old man from Torrance, California, Ada Derana reported on Sunday afternoon. Mr Allen holds a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology, where he graduated in 2017. According to a profile pieced together from social media and education records, he had worked for six years as a tutor for C2 Education and developed a molecular-chemistry game published on Steam, with a modest political donation history that included a USD 25 contribution to a Kamala Harris political action committee in 2024. The Washington DC Police Chief, Jeffrey Carroll, told a briefing that the suspect was carrying a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives at the time of his arrest, NewsFirst reported. Vice President J.D. Vance and Dr. Mehmet Oz, who were both at the head table, were among those shepherded out by Secret Service agents.
The incident is the most serious security breach at the annual correspondents’ dinner — typically attended by senior administration officials, members of Congress, network anchors and Hollywood celebrities — in the event’s 110-year history.
It also comes against a tense international backdrop. Just hours earlier, Mr Trump had cancelled an envoy mission to Pakistan by special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who were due to meet Iran’s foreign minister in Islamabad as part of stalled nuclear talks. The administration’s Iran policy has dominated Washington headlines in recent weeks, set against a broader naval build-up of three aircraft carriers in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea and a freeze of $344 million in suspected Iran-linked crypto.
On Monday, the 31-year-old suspect was formally charged with the attempted assassination of the US President, Newswire reported, citing DW. Court proceedings showed the suspect also faced two firearms charges. He made his first court appearance on Monday and would face up to a life sentence if convicted.
Sources: Newswire, Ada Derana, BBC, NewsFirst.
