Gunman at White House Correspondents’ Dinner was targeting top Trump officials: attorney general

Agents draw their guns after loud bangs were heard during the White House Correspondents' dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington. Photo by Mandel NGAN /AFP

Article content

Investigators on Sunday said the gunman who tried to storm a gala dinner attended by U.S. President Donald Trump planned to target top government officials, as scrutiny grew over the event’s security.

Article content

Trump, who was rushed out of the hotel ballroom in Washington by Secret Service agents, posted surveillance camera footage of the gunman attempting to sprint past a security checkpoint as guards drew their weapons.

Article content

Article content

Article content

After an exchange of gunfire, the suspect was detained at the scene and was being questioned Sunday before he is due to appear in court on Monday.

Article content

Article content

“He’s not actively cooperating. I expect that he will be formally charged tomorrow morning in federal court in Washington,” acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche told CBS’s “Face The Nation.”

Article content

“We do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration.”

Article content

Blanche added no further motive was known for the attack, confirming the suspect — who was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives — was staying at the Washington Hilton hotel where the black-tie dinner was held on Saturday evening.

Article content

“We believe that he travelled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then from Chicago to Washington,” Blanche said. “It appears he purchased these firearms in the past couple years.”

Article content

Agents draw their guns after loud bangs were heard during the media gala at the Washington Hilton, where President Donald Trump was the guest of honour. (Mandel NGAN/AFP) Photo by Mandel NGAN /AFP

Article content

Attendees dove under tables in chaotic scenes as Secret Service agents swarmed into the glitzy White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, held annually in the U.S. capital.

Article content

Article content

Crowded into the ballroom were Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, several cabinet members and top lawmakers, and hundreds of guests in black tie.

Article content

Article content

‘Lone wolf’?

Article content

Trump said at a hastily arranged late-night news conference at the White House that he first thought the noise was a tray being dropped, before realizing it was gunfire. He said he hoped the media gala would be rescheduled within a month.

Article content

“They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too,” the president said. One officer was shot at close range in his safety vest and appeared to be not seriously harmed.

Article content

Trump added that the venue was “not a particularly secure” facility, as questions swirled about the president’s safety.

Article content

Attendees check their phones in the lobby of the Washington Hilton after shots were heard. (Alex WROBLEWSKI/AFP) Photo by Alex WROBLEWSKI /AFP

Article content

An AFP photographer saw FBI tactical agents on Sunday evening entering a two-story, brown house in Torrance, Calif., associated with the suspect.

Article content

Multiple U.S. news outlets identified him as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from the southwestern Los Angeles suburb.

Article content

Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pa., in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing an audience member and lightly wounding the president in the ear.