A gunman opened fire Saturday night at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton, forcing the evacuation of President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and Vice President JD Vance. Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was subdued and taken into custody. A Secret Service agent wearing an armored vest was struck in the chest but suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department. No other guests were injured.
White House Correspondents' Association President Weijia Jiang called the incident "a harrowing moment for everyone in attendance" and praised law enforcement for protecting "thousands of guests" and ensuring that "everyone in attendance was unharmed, including the president, the first lady, and the vice president."
Allen sent a message to his family before the attack describing himself as a "friendly federal assassin" and outlining plans to target administration officials ranked by seniority. In the message, Allen wrote that while dinner guests were not his primary targets, he "would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary." He did not mention President Trump by name in the correspondence but stated that FBI Director Kash Patel was not a target, without explanation.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that the suspect was targeting administration officials "likely including the president," though he cautioned the information was preliminary. Allen displayed anti-Trump sentiments in his writings. He held a degree in mechanical engineering and worked as a tutor and amateur video game developer.
Allen is expected to be arraigned Monday on preliminary charges that include using a firearm during a crime of violence. The suspect traveled by train from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., according to Blanche.
The Secret Service, with support from the FBI, is expected to lead the investigation due to presidential protection involvement. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland who attended the dinner, expressed hope that the investigation would be conducted "with complete openness and transparency and integrity."
Rep. Abe Hamadeh of Arizona called for Congress to take "better steps" to address lawmaker security in light of the shooting.
President Trump thanked the press after returning to the White House briefing room, calling the dinner "an event dedicated to the First Amendment." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the gunman as "a depraved crazy person who sought to assassinate the President and kill as many top Trump administration officials as possible."
A gunman opened fire Saturday night at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton, forcing the evacuation of President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and Vice President JD Vance. Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, exchanged fire with law enforcement near the main magnetometer screening area before being subdued and taken into custody. A Secret Service agent wearing an armored vest was struck in the chest but suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department. No other guests were injured.
White House Correspondents' Association President Weijia Jiang called the incident "a harrowing moment for everyone in attendance" and praised law enforcement for protecting "thousands of guests" and ensuring that "everyone in attendance was unharmed, including the president, the first lady, and the vice president."
Allen sent a message to his family before the attack describing himself as a "friendly federal assassin" and outlining plans to target administration officials ranked by seniority. In the message, Allen wrote that while dinner guests were not his primary targets, he "would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary." He did not mention President Trump by name in the correspondence but stated that FBI Director Kash Patel was not a target, without explanation.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that the suspect was targeting administration officials "likely including the president," though he cautioned the information was preliminary. Allen displayed anti-Trump sentiments in his writings and held a degree in mechanical engineering while working as a tutor and amateur video game developer.
Allen is expected to be arraigned Monday on preliminary charges including assault of a federal officer and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Blanche said Sunday that the suspect is not cooperating with investigators. The suspect traveled by train from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., according to Blanche.
The Secret Service, with support from the FBI, is expected to lead the investigation due to presidential protection involvement. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland who attended the dinner, expressed hope that the investigation would be conducted "with complete openness and transparency and integrity."
Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, who attended the event, said Sunday that the Secret Service should "reconsider" whether President Trump and Vice President Vance attend the same events in the future. Rep. Abe Hamadeh of Arizona called for Congress to take "better steps" to address lawmaker security in light of the shooting.
President Trump thanked the press after returning to the White House briefing room, calling the dinner "an event dedicated to the First Amendment." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the gunman as "a depraved crazy person who sought to assassinate the President and kill as many top Trump administration officials as possible."
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