The man, whose identity has not been officially revealed, was not injured; the American press identified him as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California
O armed man suspected of breaking into the gala press dinner that included the presence of President Donald Trump will appear in court this Monday (26) to answer for the accusation of a shooting attack, in the most recent episode of political violence in the United States, a deeply divided country.
Administration officials said the suspect, a California man, apparently aimed to kill Trump and senior administration officials during Saturday night’s press event at a Washington hotel in what would have been the third assassination attempt on the president in two years.
The suspect, whose identity has not been officially revealed, was not injured. The American press identified him as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California.
Trump, who was hastily removed from the scene by Secret Service agents, published security camera footage showing the armed man trying to run and overcome a security checkpoint, one floor above the ballroom where the press dinner was taking place.
After a quick exchange of fire with Secret Service agents, he was detained at the scene. Trump published photos of the suspect handcuffed on the hotel carpet, shirtless and lying face down.
In an interview aired Sunday night on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Trump He was asked if he was afraid that the attack would cause casualties.
“I wasn’t worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world,” Trump said.
On Sunday, Acting United States Attorney General Tom Blanche told CBS that the suspect was not “actively cooperating.”
“I hope that tomorrow (Monday) morning charges will be formally filed against him in federal court in Washington,” Blanche said. “We believe, based only on a very preliminary understanding of what happened, that he was targeting members of the government,” he said.
Blanche added that no other motivation was known for the attack and confirmed that the suspect — who, according to authorities, was armed with a shotgun, a pistol and a knife — he was staying at the Washington Hilton, the hotel where the White House Correspondents Association gala dinner was held.
‘Lone wolf’
Without revealing details, Trump stated that the suspect had written an “anti-Christian” manifesto. “The guy is sick,” Trump told Fox News Channel. “His sister or brother was actually complaining about it. They even filed complaints with the authorities.”
The New York Post reported that the suspect wrote, in a message he shared with his family shortly before the attackthat its targets would be “prioritized from highest to lowest level”.
Present at the gala dinner were Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, several cabinet members and congressmen, as well as hundreds of guests.
Trump said in an impromptu late-night press conference at the White House that at first he thought the noise was a falling traybefore realizing they were gunshots.
“They seem to believe he acted like a ‘lone wolf,’ and I feel the same way too,” the president said.
A security officer was shot at close range in his bulletproof vest and apparently suffered no serious injuries. Trump added that the hotel was not “a particularly secure facility” as questions mount about the president’s security protocols.
Attacks against Trump
Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024. An armed man fired several shots, who killed a bystander and slightly injured the president in the ear.
A few months later, another man was detained after a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of a rifle in the bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was staying.
The Washington Hilton, venue for Saturday’s ceremonyis the place where Republican President Ronald Reagan was attacked in 1981.
Trump said Sunday that the attack demonstrates the security reasons he has cited for building a massive new ballroom next to the White House, a project that has faced legal challenges.
The incident occurred less than 48 hours before the start of the four-day state visit to Washington by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
*AFP
