Trump shooting live: ‘would-be assassin’ targets president’s dinner
Starmer calls Trump to extend best wishes
Sir Keir Starmer extended his best wishes to President Trump in a phone call this afternoon after the “shocking scenes” in Washington, No10 said.
The prime minister also “expressed his relief that the president and first lady were safe and wished a speedy recovery to the officer injured”, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
Starmer and Trump also discussed the war in Iran and “the severe consequences for the global economy and cost of living for people in the UK and globally”.
“The prime minister shared the latest progress on his joint initiative with President Macron to restore freedom of navigation,” Downing Street said. “They looked forward to speaking again soon.”
FBI chief thanks ‘brave’ law enforcement officers
The FBI director, Kash Patel, paid tribute to law enforcement for their reaction to the shooting.
“Last night we saw the best of American leadership,” he said in a statement on social media. “Thank you to our brave law enforcement and interagency partners who acted quickly and protected their fellow Americans.”
Suspect not co-operating with authorities
The acting US attorney-general, Todd Blanche, told reporters that the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, was not co-operating with authorities as they conduct their investigation.
Meanwhile, officers are conducting a search of Allen’s home in Torrance, California.
Injured officer released from hospital
The US Secret Service’s chief of communications, Anthony Guglielmi, has said that the injured officer has been released from hospital, attributing the officer’s survival to his protective gear.
“I can confirm the officer has been discharged, and the ballistic vest helped us avoid a potential tragedy last night,” he told the BBC.
“The defendant is now before a federal court, and comments at this stage will come from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.”
He added that the Secret Service was conducting a “comprehensive review of the defendant’s background and networks to better understand his motivations, leaving no detail unexamined”.
Suspect ‘likely targeted Trump as well as his officials’
The acting attorney-general, Todd Blanche, said law enforcement believes that the alleged White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter was targeting Trump administration officials, acted alone and will be charged on Monday.
“It does appear that he did, in fact, have set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC News, adding that the suspect most likely travelled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington.
Blanche said the suspected gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, will be charged in a federal court on Monday.
He also said that he was “confident” the King would be safe during his US state visit.
‘Discussions taking place’ over King’s state visit
The King and Queen have privately contacted President Trump and the first lady to express their sympathies to those affected by the shooting, The Times understands.
Buckingham Palace said that Charles was “being kept fully informed of developments and is greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed”.
The Palace also confirmed that potential changes to the state visit were being considered as a result of the incident in Washington on Saturday night.
“As you would expect, a number of discussions will be taking place throughout the day to discuss with US colleagues and our respective teams to what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the visit.” a spokesman said.
Suspect donated to Kamala Harris’s campaign
Social Media posts, official records and local interviews have shed further light on the life of last night’s suspected gunman, Cole Tomas Allen.
Showing his political leanings, federal campaign finance records state Allen, 31, donated $25 to the Democratic Party in 2024, in support of Kamala Harris for president.
Social media posts show the arrested teacher was also an amateur video game developer in his spare time and claimed to be working on a combat game set in outer space.
Allen undertook a bachelor’s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, and later earned a master’s degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills.
In an interview with Associated Press, Bill Tang, a computer science professor at California State University-Dominguez Hills, said: “He was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions. Soft spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news.”
‘One individual’s actions do not define our city’
The mayor of Torrance has said it is “deeply troubling” that the suspect has been connected with the city.
The FBI and Secret Service have been searching a two-storey property connected with Cole Tomas Allen in Torrance, a suburb of Los Angeles with about 140,000 residents.
“We are aware of reports identifying the suspect as a resident of Torrance,” George K Chen said. “While that connection is deeply troubling, one individual’s actions do not define our city.”
Chen said that the city was opposed to “political violence, extremism, and acts of hatred in any form”.
Our security arrangements work, Secret Service insists
Law enforcement officials defended security arrangements in a press conference after last night’s incident.
The armed suspect was able to charge through a security checkpoint. Investigators believe he fired at least once, Washington police said.
Jeffery Carroll, interim chief at the Metropolitan Police Department, said: “The point of that checkpoint is to intercept individuals … They were able to bring him into custody and prevent anyone from being harmed.”
Sean Curran, director of the US Secret Service, said the incident showed that the agency’s security arrangements “works”.
Trump, in his press conference, had said that Washington Hilton hotel — the site of a 1981 assassination attempt against the then president Ronald Reagan — is “not particularly a secure building”.
World leaders condemn attack
World leaders have rushed to wish President Trump well and condemn last night’s violence.
President Macron of France wrote on X: “The armed attack targeting the president of the United States last night is unacceptable. Violence has no place in a democracy. I extend my full support to Donald Trump.”
Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, wrote on X, “I am relieved that the president, the first lady, and all guests are safe”.
Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, wrote on X: “Relieved to learn that President Trump, the first lady and vice-president are safe. Violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned.”
Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister, wrote on X that “violence is never the answer”.
Suspect ‘assembled long weapon in makeshift room’
A dinner event volunteer claims she witnessed the suspect assembling a “long” weapon in a “makeshift room”, the New York Post has reported.
The witness, Helen Mabus, described a roughly-assembled room near the entrance where bar carts were being stored and where “there was no security” at the time.
“He was in that room … he grabbed it out of a bag or something,” Mabus said, adding that the weapon “was long” and “didn’t look like a typical gun”.
“He put it together and … ran towards the stairs to go down to the ballroom,” she said.
“It just seems like he was shooting all over the place,” she said, adding that she had heard “at least ten shots”.
Lammy decries ‘appalling scenes’
David Lammy has declared “political violence an affront to democracy” after a gunman fired at a dinner event attended by President Trump.
The deputy prime minister wrote on X: “Appalling scenes at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner overnight. Relieved that President Trump, the first lady, Vice-President JD Vance, the second lady and all guests are safe. Political violence is an affront to democracy and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”
Lammy has a close relationship with Vance. Last summer, he hosted the vice president at his grace-and-favour country home, Chevening House in Kent, where the pair were pictured fishing together.
Third incident raises questions about Trump’s security
President Trump thanked law enforcement officers for their protection after the incident, but serious questions will be asked about his security arrangements.
The president survived two assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign, prompting investigations and personnel changes at the Secret Service.
On July 13, 2024, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, fired at Trump during a rally using an “AR-style 556 rifle”.
A bullet grazed Trump’s right ear and Crooks shot and killed Corey Comperatore, an attendee. Crooks was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was seen with a rifle at Trump International Golf Club while Trump was playing on September 15, 2024.
He was found guilty of attempting to assassinate the president and sentenced to life in prison.
The suspect’s motives in the most recent attack remain unclear, including whether the president was the target.
In interviews following his arrest, the suspect said that he had been targeting Trump administration officials, CBS News reported.
Security for King’s visit ‘under review’
Discussions are under way between Buckingham Palace, the UK government and the White House about the King’s state visit to the US following the shooting in Washington.
Officials are discussing whether the state visit, or at least parts of it, should be altered as security is reviewed. The King and Queen are due to arrive in Washington on Monday.
Palace officials are well aware that there is precedent for state visits being changed to adapt to events.
In 2023, the King and Queen’s state visit to France, the first foreign visit of the new reign, was postponed at the last minute following riots in the country.
‘It’s not going to deter me’ — Trump
President Trump said he remains as determined as ever to win the war in Iran following the incident.
“It doesn’t happen to people that don’t do anything,” Trump said at a press conference less than two hours after the shooting. “It’s not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran.”
When Trump was asked if the shooting could be linked to the war in Iran, he said: “I don’t think so but you never know”.
Just hours before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the president had put the buffers on peace negotiations set to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, had been due to travel to the capital to conduct talks with Pakistani mediators.
But Tehran’s delegation had already left and shortly afterwards Trump called off the US visit.
King’s security on agenda before US visit
Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, said security arrangements for the King’s visit to the US will be extensively discussed in coming days.
“As you would imagine, with the visit of His Majesty the King this week, our teams are working closely to ensure that security arrangements are put appropriately in place,” Jones told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News.
Asked if there were additional concerns for the King’s safety following the White House Correspondents’ Dinner incident, Jones said: “As you would imagine, the government and the palace take the security of His Majesty very seriously, and there were already extensive discussions taking place, which will continue over the coming days.”
Starmer sends letter of solidarity to Trump
Sir Keir Starmer has sent President Trump a letter of solidarity and said that he was shocked by the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
In a post on X, the prime minister said: “Any attack on democratic institutions or on the freedom of the press must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
“It is a huge relief that @POTUS, the First Lady and all those attending are safe.”
Darren Jones, chief secretary to the prime minister, told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News: “These are remarkable scenes. The prime minister has, this morning, sent a message to the president of the United States in solidarity for the events that took place.”
‘Coward undone by Secret Service security’
“Tonight a coward attempted to create a national tragedy,” Matthew Quinn, the Secret Service deputy director, said.
Writing on X, he said: “[The suspect] underestimated the protective capabilities of the U.S. Secret Service, and was stopped at first contact.”
Tom Brenner/APHe continued: “The strength of our layered security posture was evident, with a myriad of countermeasures still ahead.
“Grateful for the brave men and women of the Secret Service and our valued Law Enforcement partners.”
Arrested man was ‘borderline genius’ and teacher of the month
The suspected gunman appears to have been a former engineering student and teacher with no criminal record.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen, 31, graduated from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
A person called Cole Tomas Allen appears on the university’s mechanical engineering website.
A former high school volleyball teammate described Allen as a “borderline genius” and “super stable”, NBC News reported, while officials confirmed he had no criminal record and was not being monitored.
After graduating from Caltech, Allen appears to have worked for a year as a mechanical engineer.
LinkedInHe later started developing video games and working as a part-time teacher at a company dedicated to helping high school students get into college, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Allen was named C2 Education’s “teacher of the month” in 2024.
Agent ‘saved by bulletproof vest’ in shooting
A Secret Service agent was saved by his bulletproof vest during a confrontation with the suspect.
Jeffery Carroll, interim chief of Washington DC’s metropolitan police department, said the officer was hit and taken to a hospital, where he was stabilised.
He said authorities believed the officer was wounded during an exchange of gunfire during the incident. He added that the suspect was not struck.
President Trump later said that the officer was in good spirits. He has since been released from hospital, a source told NBC News.
“We told him we love him and respect him,” Trump said of the Secret Service officer at a news conference after the incident. “And he’s a very proud guy and he’s very proud of what he does.”
We were waiting for Trump to speak. Then we heard gunfire
After the shots rang out, most dived for cover. Some journalists, including me, peeked out to try to work out or record what had happened (Katy Balls writes).
Read the full account of the evening here.
FBI searching address in LA
The FBI is now searching an address in Torrance, a suburb of Los Angeles, linked to Allen, but it was media and local police that were first to reach the property.
They found a modest, two-storey property with two cars in the driveway, and a blue scooter out front which a neighbour told The Wall Street Journal they had seen Allen using.
Daniel Cole/ReutersMembers of the media knocked several times, but there was no answer and the lights remained off indoors.
Aurelio Mattucci, a Torrance councilman, said local officials had been told that the house was occupied earlier in the evening.
“This is a quiet neighbourhood, lots of retired LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department),” James Costello, 53, told The New York Times. “That’s why we moved here. We were told it was super, super safe.”
‘Quite an evening in DC’
President Trump was on his Truth Social platform soon after the incident, declaring: “Quite an evening in D.C.”
He began by thanking law enforcement and Secret Service agents who “did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely.”
Trump said he had wanted to “LET THE SHOW GO ON” but was advised that the event should be postponed by law enforcement.
Twenty minutes later, he announced that he would conduct a press briefing, adding: “The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition.”
Trump wrote: “We will be speaking to you in a half an hour. I have spoken with all the representatives in charge of the event, and we will be rescheduling within 30 days. President DONALD J. TRUMP”.
About an hour later, he shared two photos of the topless suspect in handcuffs, face down on the carpet.
Suspect ‘largely declined to answer questions’
Cole Tomas Allen, the apprehended suspect, told law enforcement that he had been targeting Trump administration officials, following his arrest, according to two sources, CBS News reported.
Allen has largely declined to answer questions, ABC News reported. He mentioned that he is a tutor in California, officials said.
The suspect did not specifically say that he was targeting Trump, just “administration officials,” a law enforcement source said.
CCTV footage shows ‘attempt to storm checkpoint’
President Trump posted CCTV footage on his Truth Social platform showing the suspect bursting through a security checkpoint at the hotel.
Jeffery Carroll, the Washington police chief, later said that an individual, believed to be a guest at the hotel, charged a Secret Service checkpoint.
During the event, hotel access was restricted to guests, event ticket-holders, people with invitations to the receptions held before or after the dinner, or documents from the White House Correspondents’ Association demonstrating affiliation with the dinner, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The event was attended by some 2,300 people and was the the first time Trump had attended as a sitting president, his last visit being in 2011.
‘Great relief’ president and first lady are safe, says Pelosi
Politicians from across the political divide rushed to give their best wishes to the president, his wife and an injured security agent.
Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker, said it was a “great relief” the president, first lady and all attenders were safe after “a terrifying act of violence inside the venue”.
She continued: “As someone whose family has suffered political violence, my prayers are with the injured officer and all those affected by the trauma of these horrible incidents.”
Chuck Schumer, the Democratic senate minority leader, said he was “praying everyone remains safe”.
Rand Paul, a Republican senator, said: “Thank God the President and all of the attendees tonight are safe.”
Trump told reporters he would reschedule the disrupted event, which he said had “unified” political opponents and the media.
‘Suspect charged Secret Service checkpoint’
Jeffery Carroll, the interim chief of police of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, said the suspect “charged a US Secret Service checkpoint” at the Washington Hilton.
There “does not appear to be any sort of danger to the public at this point,” he said.
FBI agents have begun searching an address believed to be linked to the suspect in Torrance, California.
Muriel Bowser, Washington’s mayor, said that she had “no reason” to believe anyone else was involved.
Alleged gunman ‘targeted administration officials’
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance in California, is to be charged with felony firearms and assault offences on Monday, US officials have said.
Allen told law enforcement that he wanted to shoot Trump administration officials, two sources told CBS News. He did not say he was targeting President Trump specifically according to a law enforcement source.
Todd Blanche, acting attorney general, said additional charges would be filed.
“Tonight you saw the very worst and the very best of this country. You saw the very worst by the actions of that coward,” he said.
“But you also saw the very best because you saw law enforcement do exactly what they’re supposed to do. I promise you justice will be served.”
‘It’s dangerous stuff’ — Trump reacts to incident
President Trump addressed the nation in a White House press briefing just hours after the shooting.
He described a “pretty loud noise” from “quite far away” before he and Melania were “whisked away” by his security detail.
“There wasn’t a lot of time to be thinking,” Trump said. Asked why there had been repeated assassination attempts against him, Trump compared himself to Abraham Lincoln.
“They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much,” Trump said of those who assassinate political figures.
“I hate to say I’m honoured by that, but we’ve done a lot” for the country, Trump said, while touting his record in office.
Asked if he was the target of the gunman, he said “I guess … I mean, these people, they’re crazy.”
Trump said being president was a “dangerous profession”. He added: “It’s dangerous stuff, whether it’s here or somewhere else … No country is immune.”
President shares photo of ‘would-be assassin’
President Trump afterwards posted a photo of the “would-be assassin” on his Truth Social platform.
Trump described Allen, who was pictured in handcuffs, topless and lying face down on the floor, as a “lone wolf whack job”, adding that he was a “very sick person”.
Jeffery Carroll, the Washington police chief, said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives and that officials believe he was a guest at the hotel.
A Cole Tomas Allen appears on California Institute of Technology’s mechanical engineering website page, where he appears to have been a student in about 2017. Public records show a CalTech email address for Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
‘Gunman’ apprehended at correspondents’ dinner
A suspected gunman has been apprehended after shots were fired at a White House Correspondents’ Dinner last night.
President Trump and the first lady were evacuated during the event at the Washington Hilton Hotel that they were attending.
The suspect, named as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, “charged” through a security checkpoint, past law enforcement officers, shortly before 1am GMT (8pm EST) officials said.
Footage from hotel showed armed officers forcing the president and his wife to duck under a table as loud bangs were heard.
People in the audience dived to the floor while others fled the area. The president and his wife were unharmed.
One officer, who was shot but protected by his bulletproof vest, was taken to hospital and is understood to be recovering.
