Washington (United States) (AFP) – A California man accused of storming a gala dinner attended by President Donald Trump was to appear in court Monday over a shooting that marked the latest spasm of political violence in deeply divided America. Administration officials said the suspect in Saturday night’s attack aimed to kill Trump and senior officials at the media dinner in a Washington hotel, in the third attempt on the president’s life in two years.
Trump, who was rushed out of the venue by Secret Service agents, posted camera footage of the gunman sprinting past a checkpoint one floor above the ballroom where the dinner was held. After a brief exchange of gunfire with agents, the suspect was detained at the scene. No one was killed.
In a CBS interview on Sunday evening, Trump was asked if he feared there would be casualties as Washington’s government and media elite ducked for cover at the black-tie dinner. “I wasn’t worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world,” Trump said.
Cole Allen, 31, is set to make his first appearance in Washington federal court at about 1:00 pm (1700 GMT). Proceedings will be brief, with Allen expected to be charged with assault on a federal officer and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Additional charges are likely in future.
The suspect — who was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives — was staying at the Washington Hilton hotel where the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner was held. The New York Post said Allen had written in a message shared with his family shortly before the attack that his targets would be “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.”
In the seconds after the shooting erupted a floor above, Secret Service agents swarmed into the ballroom, prompting chaotic scenes as attendees dove under tables. Crowded into the venue were Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, several cabinet members and top lawmakers, and hundreds of guests.
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 gala would be rescheduled within a month, adding that the hotel venue was “not a particularly secure” facility, as questions swirled about the president’s safety protocols.
The hotel has hosted gala dinners for the White House Correspondents Association for decades without incident. The WHCA routinely invites sitting presidents to attend, but Saturday was the first time Trump had accepted.
Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing an audience member and lightly wounding the president in the ear. A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle poking from the bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.
© 2024 AFP
