27 April,2026 09:20 AM IST | Washington | mid-day online correspondent
This image released by US President Donald Trump via his Truth Social account shows a person he claims to be the alleged suspect in the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. PIC/AFP
A California man accused of forcing his way into a gala dinner attended by President Donald Trump was due to appear in court on Monday over a shooting that is the latest episode of political violence in a sharply divided America.
Administration officials said the suspect in Saturday night's startling attack appeared to be targeting Trump and senior officials at the press dinner in a Washington hotel, in what would be the third attempt on the president's life in two years.
Trump, who was hurried out of the ballroom in Washington by Secret Service agents, posted surveillance footage showing the gunman trying to sprint past a checkpoint one floor above the room where the dinner was being held.
Following a brief exchange of gunfire with agents, the suspect was detained at the scene.
Trump also shared photographs of the suspect handcuffed on the carpeted hotel floor, lying shirtless and face down.
In an interview broadcast on Sunday night on the CBS programme "60 Minutes", the US President was asked whether he feared there would be casualties as the chaotic scene unfolded before him, with Washington's government and media elite in formal attire taking cover at an upscale dinner.
"I wasn't worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world," Trump said.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche told CBS's "Face The Nation", "He's not actively cooperating. I expect that he will be formally charged tomorrow morning in federal court in Washington."
"We do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration," he added.
Blanche added that no further motive was known for the attack, and confirmed the suspect - who officials said was carrying a shotgun, handgun and knives - was staying at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the black-tie White House Correspondents' Dinner was held.
Trump, without giving details, said the gunman had written an "anti-Christian" manifesto.
"The guy is a sick guy," Trump told Fox News. "His sister or his brother actually was complaining about it. They were even complaining to law enforcement," he added.
The New York Post said the suspect, widely identified as Cole Allen, 31, 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 moments after the shooting a floor above, Secret Service agents rushed into the ballroom, triggering chaotic scenes as attendees dived under tables.
Inside the ballroom were Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, several cabinet members and senior lawmakers, along with hundreds of guests in black tie.
Trump said at a hastily arranged late-night news conference at the White House that he initially thought the noise was a tray being dropped before realising it was gunfire.
He said he hoped the annual gala, hosted by the White House Correspondents Association, would be rescheduled within a month.
"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 not to be seriously injured.
Trump added that the hotel venue was "not a particularly secure" facility, as questions mounted over the president's safety protocols.
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 protruding from bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.
The Washington Hilton, where Saturday's gala took place, was also the site where Republican President Ronald Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin in 1981.
Trump said on Sunday that the shooting highlighted the security reasons he has cited for planning a huge new ballroom next to the White House, a project that has faced legal challenges.
The White House Correspondents' Association invited Trump to its gala this year despite his repeated attacks on the media.
Before this year, and unlike all other presidents over the past 100 years, Trump had never attended while in office.
The dinner brings together journalists and the who's who of Washington to raise funds for scholarships and awards.
The incident came less than 48 hours before King Charles III and Queen Camilla begin a four-day state visit to Washington.
(With AFP inputs)
