California man accused in Trump White House press dinner shooting to face court today; here's what we know

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 AmericaAdministration officials said the suspect in Saturday nights 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 presidents life in two yearsTrump 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 heldFollowing a brief exchange of gunfire with agents the suspect was detained at the sceneTrump also shared photographs of the suspect handcuffed on the carpeted hotel floor lying shirtless and face downIn 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 Washingtons government and media elite in formal attire taking cover at an upscale dinnerI wasnt worried I understand life We live in a crazy world Trump saidMeanwhile earlier in the day acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche told CBSs Face The Nation Hes not actively cooperating I expect that he will be formally charged tomorrow morning in federal court in WashingtonrdquoWe do believe based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened that he was targeting members of the administration he addedBlanche added that no further motive was known for the attack and confirmed the suspect ndash who officials said was carrying a shotgun handgun and knives ndash was staying at the Washington Hilton hotel where the blacktie White House Correspondents Dinner was heldGuests hid under tablesTrump without giving details said the gunman had written an antiChristian manifestoThe 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 addedThe 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 highestranking to lowestIn the moments after the shooting a floor above Secret Service agents rushed into the ballroom triggering chaotic scenes as attendees dived under tablesInside 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 tieTrump said at a hastily arranged latenight news conference at the White House that he initially thought the noise was a tray being dropped before realising it was gunfireHe said he hoped the annual gala hosted by the White House Correspondents Association would be rescheduled within a monthThey 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 injuredTrump added that the hotel venue was not a particularly secure facility as questions mounted over the presidents safety protocolsMultiple attempts on Trumps lifeTrump 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 earA 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 roundThe Washington Hilton where Saturdays gala took place was also the site where Republican President Ronald Reagan was shot by a wouldbe assassin in 1981Trump 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 challengesThe White House Correspondents Association invited Trump to its gala this year despite his repeated attacks on the mediaBefore this year and unlike all other presidents over the past 100 years Trump had never attended while in officeThe dinner brings together journalists and the whos who of Washington to raise funds for scholarships and awardsThe incident came less than 48 hours before King Charles III and Queen Camilla begin a fourday state visit to WashingtonWith AFP inputs