Suspect armed with guns and knives wrote of targeting Trump administration — BBC News

[0:00] The White House says President Trump stands fearless following what it's calling a third [0:05] assassination attempt after a gunman opened fire last night in a hotel in Washington where an [0:11] annual gala dinner was taking place. Mr Trump and his wife Melania were rushed to safety and were [0:18] unhurt. A Secret Service agent was hit but saved by his bulletproof vest. The drama unfolded at [0:25] the Washington Hilton Hotel where President Trump was attending the White House correspondence dinner [0:30] in the ballroom. At 8.35pm the gunman ran past a security checkpoint on the floor upstairs from [0:37] the ballroom armed with a shotgun, a handgun and knives. He opened fire but was stopped by the [0:43] guards at the checkpoint without reaching the event. He's been named as 31-year-old Cole Thomas [0:50] Allen from California. Police say he'd registered as a guest at the hotel. The state visit by the [0:57] king and queen due to start tomorrow will go ahead as planned it was confirmed this evening [1:02] following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic. More on that in a moment but first [1:06] Gary O'Donoghue was among journalists invited to last night's dinner and he sent this report. [1:12] The dinner had only just begun. Scarcely had we finished the first course when chaos and panic [1:19] erupted. At first the president and first lady seemed unaware. Their table at the far end of the [1:29] room from where the shooting was taking place. But as people began to dive under tables and this [1:34] official leapt onto the stage to protect the president you can see the first lady realising [1:40] what's happening and her evident distress. First the vice president was removed from the stage. [1:51] Then armed agents moved in to form a barrier. They were protecting the president from potential risk [2:02] before whisking him and the first lady off the stage and to safety. Other members of the cabinet [2:10] soon followed. The Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the Health and Human Services Secretary [2:17] Robert F Kennedy Jr were led away. For 10 minutes or so everyone cowed under tables as armed police [2:29] fanned out through the room. When the dinner began I'd been sat 40 feet from the president but facing the [2:40] back of the ballroom where the sound of shots and breaking glass was coming from. [2:46] Booming noise that you hear from automatic, semi-automatic weapons. It was a pretty distinctive [2:52] sound and that's when all of us hit the deck under the table and stayed there because you just [2:57] didn't know if someone was wandering around the room about to start shooting all over again. [3:02] Open the door. We soon learned that outside these doors which we'd come in through just minutes before [3:08] a man armed to the teeth seen here on security video had a shotgun, a handgun and knives and had [3:15] sprinted through the security checks. Shots had been exchanged, a secret service agent had been hit [3:21] and the gunman put on the ground but still alive. The White House correspondence dinner is the biggest [3:27] social occasion of the year for journalists and the first time Donald Trump had agreed to come as [3:33] president. The organisers and even the president thought the evening could continue but before too long that idea [3:42] was scuppered by the security of Vice and the president was heading back to the White House for a late night [3:50] impromptu press conference. An incongruous sight, everyone still in their finery as the president began to give details of the shooter. [3:59] A man from California, he said. A lone wolf whack job in his words. [4:04] Thank you very much. [4:05] Nobody told me this was such a dangerous profession. If Marco would have told me, maybe I wouldn't have run. [4:11] Maybe I would have said I'll take a pass. No, it's a dangerous profession but I don't view it that way. [4:17] Look, I'm here to do a job. It's part of the job. It is a dangerous... I can't imagine that there's any profession that's more dangerous. [4:25] The acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, gave his view on the motive for the shooting. [4:32] It does appear that he did in fact have set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president, but I want to wait and not get ahead of us on that. [4:43] This is the third serious security threat involving the president in less than two years. [4:53] Once again, big questions will be asked about how this could have happened and why political violence is becoming an increasing reality in America today. [5:03] Gary O'Donoghue, BBC News, Washington. [5:04] Well, as Gary said there, this is the third time there's been a serious security scare involving President Trump. [5:12] Our correspondent Tom Bateman, who was also at the event last night, looks now at what more we know about the suspect and the measures taken to protect the president and his entourage. [5:23] The FBI raided the home of the alleged gunman near L.A. overnight. [5:28] Police named him as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen. [5:32] Online, he describes himself as a computer sciences graduate and teacher. [5:35] Officials say he likely travelled by train to Chicago, then on to Washington, D.C. [5:41] He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. [5:46] As he ran through that checkpoint, members of law enforcement from the United States Secret Service intercepted that individual. [5:53] And this was the suspect on the floor in the hotel. [5:56] He had been staying there as a guest, meaning he was able to have access as far as the floor above the ballroom. [6:02] That's where the metal detectors were that he rushed before being tackled by agents. [6:07] Officials say once the president was in the ballroom, a perimeter of armed agents had already secured it. [6:14] I was in the dinner room at the time as the chaos broke out. [6:17] To get there, we'd had to pass the scanners but not show ID and bags were only checked by hand. [6:23] Well, we've just seen the entire stage of the correspondence dinner being evacuated. [6:27] The president was there and everyone here, you can see, is under the tables at the moment. [6:34] We saw security forces rush in, armed with guns. [6:39] You can see now on the stage there are security forces armed with guns. [6:47] Officials say they are still investigating the suspect's motive, but think he may have been attending to target administration officials, likely including the president. [6:56] Mr Trump was said to have been held in a secure area, even as he posted on social media he wanted the show to go on. [7:03] But security agents had other ideas. [7:05] We've just come through security so they're not letting us back in now. [7:09] So you've got lots of secret service, lots of security people and quite a few people coming out of the ballroom. [7:16] And one of the guys at the security entrance there just said this is now being treated as a crime scene and we have to leave that area. [7:24] Then I saw the FBI boss consoling the widow of murdered conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a vivid sign of America's unsolved crisis over guns and political violence. [7:36] And these people are, they're crazy. [7:39] The president was moticated back to the White House where he rejected the idea he should review his approach to public appearances. [7:45] Your team for a while rethought outdoor events. [7:48] Yeah. [7:49] Do you think that you now need to rethink indoor events? [7:51] Well, but then you just don't do events. [7:53] No, I can't do that. [7:54] I have to, what it, you know, it is what it is. [7:56] We have to do it. [7:57] The room was very, very secure. [8:00] You know, he charged from 50 yards away. [8:02] So he was very far away from the room. [8:04] This is the third time in two years a gunman has got close to Donald Trump. [8:10] On the campaign trail in Butler, Pennsylvania, a would-be assassin's bullet clipped his right ear. [8:16] Just two months later at his golf course in Florida, Mr Trump was rushed to safety [8:20] when a gunman was spotted hiding in the bushes a hole away. [8:24] As guests left the Washington Hilton last night, officials were saying the security measures did protect the president. [8:31] President Reagan emerged from the Washington Hilton. [8:33] But it is not the first time this hotel has seen an attempt on a president's life. [8:38] In 1981, Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded here. [8:42] He suffered a punctured lung. [8:43] His press secretary left permanently disabled. [8:46] There last night were the president and the next two in the line of succession. [8:51] A room packed with America's most powerful left cowering. [8:55] And a host of questions raised over securing a leader who loves to spend so much time in the public eye. [9:02] Tom Bateman, BBC News, Washington. [9:05] Well, the suspect, 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, is from Torrance, a Los Angeles suburb, [9:11] where he's reported to have worked as a tutor. [9:14] Correspondent Reagan Morris is outside his home for us now. [9:17] As we heard in Tom's report, he, Cole, actually took the train from here all the way to Washington. [9:26] That's a journey that would have taken several days and allowed him to carry weapons undetected. [9:32] He then checked into the Hilton Hotel, where that correspondence dinner was being held. [9:37] President Trump said that Cole's family heard about his plans shortly before he came storming into that hotel lobby [9:43] and that it was them who called the police. [9:45] The FBI arrived here shortly after the suspected shooter Cole Allen was detained, nearly 3,000 miles away, [9:54] much to the shock of the community and those who know him. [9:57] He seemed like a very ordinary person, you know. [10:00] It's just, I don't know. [10:02] You never expect it coming from this guy. [10:05] He was a nice guy, down-to-earth guy. [10:07] I got a lot of help in my physics homework and prepared for tests with him, as well as one of my other buddies. [10:13] So, yeah, it's kind of, you know, it's just something you would never expect. [10:17] The 31-year-old lived here with his parents, a quiet, coastal neighborhood, [10:22] a suburb of Los Angeles known for its million-dollar homes, ocean breezes, and good schools. [10:29] The kids here call Torrance Borentz, because not much ever happens here. [10:32] The FBI have been going door-to-door looking for evidence. [10:36] Neighbors are still processing what's happened. [10:38] Some know the family well, but say Cole kept to himself. [10:42] Parents I'm friends with. I'm friends with his dad. [10:45] They're very solid, peaceful, good people in the community. [10:50] Cole Allen attended one of the most prestigious universities in the U.S., [10:54] earning an engineering degree from Caltech and then a master's degree from a state school. [10:59] According to his social media profiles, Allen worked as a self-employed video game developer [11:03] and a part-time teacher. [11:06] Allen is facing at least two charges, using a firearm during a crime of violence [11:10] and an assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. [11:14] He will be formally charged on Monday in federal court. [11:17] Regan Morris, BBC News, in Torrance, California. [11:20] As we mentioned earlier, the King and Queen state visit to the U.S. will go ahead tomorrow as planned, [11:28] Buckingham Palace has confirmed, following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic throughout the day. [11:34] Daniela Rolfe reports now from Washington. [11:40] Dressing Washington, D.C., ready to welcome a king and queen. [11:45] Events last night have caused all security plans for this already challenging trip to be reviewed, [11:50] led by the U.K. government alongside the White House and Buckingham Palace. [11:55] After discussions, the palace confirmed the visit would go ahead. [11:59] In a statement, it said, [12:01] Following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day and acting on advice of government, [12:07] we can confirm the state visit by their majesties will proceed as planned. [12:12] The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who've worked at pace to ensure this remains the case [12:17] and are looking forward to the visit getting underway. [12:21] Earlier, the president had spoken on the phone to Fox News [12:25] and was confident the visit would not be postponed as he praised the king. [12:30] And he's been amazing. [12:32] Very brave, actually. [12:33] And he's a friend of mine for a long time. [12:35] So he's coming and we're going to have a great time. [12:38] And he represents his nation like nobody else can do it. [12:44] Thank you very much, everybody. [12:45] Well, it's a great gentleman. [12:47] A great gentleman and a great king. [12:49] When President Trump visited the UK last September, the level of security was unprecedented. [12:55] The usual elements of a state visit were abandoned [12:58] and the president's schedule kept him within the walls of Windsor Castle. [13:03] This week, the king does have some public-facing events. [13:10] They have been the focus of the security review. [13:14] There will be some modest adjustments made, [13:17] but they will not significantly impact events over the next four days. [13:21] Well, we now know that the king and queen will arrive here in Washington tomorrow evening, [13:31] UK time, for what will be the most difficult state visit of the king's reign so far [13:35] because of that strained relationship between the US and the UK. [13:40] And we now have that added layer of complexity around security. [13:44] But this was already a heavily choreographed visit. [13:48] If you look at the schedule, I have counted around five times [13:51] that we will see the president and the king together. [13:54] Some of those will just be a photo opportunity rather than moving pictures. [13:59] So what that does is remove the jeopardy a little bit [14:02] and limit just how loose-lipped Donald Trump can be in front of the cameras and in front of the king. [14:08] Because the problem with state visits is that sometimes they don't paper over the cracks. [14:14] They can sometimes put a spotlight on the problems in a relationship. [14:18] Rita. [14:18] Daniela, thank you. [14:20] Daniela Ralph reporting there. [14:23] Well, I'm joined by our political correspondent, Joe Pike. [14:26] And, Joe, despite those reservations that Daniela is talking about [14:30] where things can potentially go wrong, [14:32] will there be some relief in Downing Street that this is going ahead? [14:35] Absolutely, Rita. [14:35] Partly because of the time and effort spent planning this, [14:38] partly because they don't want to look like they've been cowed by the events of yesterday, [14:41] but also partly because they do want to reap economic benefits. [14:45] Trade is the key focus for this trip, according to foreign office sources I've spoken to. [14:50] Yvette Cooper is travelling with the king as his key foreign policy advisor. [14:54] Not that he needs it, of course. [14:55] This is a man who first met President Eisenhower when he was 10. [14:59] But as Daniela said, the backdrop is fraught. [15:01] It is difficult. [15:02] Trump and Starmer spoke on the phone today, [15:04] but their relationship has disintegrated in recent months. [15:08] They've disagreed on Iran, on Greenland, on Chagos, [15:11] and if that Pentagon memo is to be believed, [15:13] they could disagree on the Falkland Islands too. [15:17] And even considering all of that, for Keir Starmer, [15:19] there are more pressing concerns in this country in the coming days. [15:23] Firstly, he has two former colleagues appearing before MPs on Tuesday [15:27] in the continuing fallout from the Mandelson saga. [15:29] And then there is pressure from opposition parties, [15:32] including the Conservatives, for Parliament to investigate the Prime Minister. [15:36] That could be dicey. [15:37] And therefore, Rita, I think the glamour and the drama of Washington and New York [15:42] could be a distraction that Keir Starmer might welcome in the coming days. [15:46] Joe, thank you very much. [15:47] Joe Pike. [15:49] Let's get a final word from Gary O'Donoghue, [15:51] who's outside the hotel where the event was held in Washington. [15:54] And Gary, the president is on harm, [15:56] but there must be concerns about repeated acts of political violence in the US. [16:01] I think that's right. [16:04] And I think the temperature in the politics of this country [16:07] has really come to a boiling point, really, over the last few years. [16:12] The president said last night that it's time to resolve our differences, [16:15] but many will argue that he does little to do that in practice. [16:20] And in the meantime, this normalisation of political violence, [16:24] not just the spectaculars like we saw last night, [16:28] not like we saw in Pennsylvania or the close, the near-miss we saw in Florida, [16:33] but lower-level political violence, lower-level political harassment, [16:38] this sort of bipartisan war that is going on in this country [16:43] is eroding trust between communities and eroding trust between people. [16:48] And that is enormously dangerous, enormously damaging for the body politic here [16:53] in what is, after all, the 250th anniversary of this country's declaration of independence.