White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting: What we know so far — BBC News

[0:00] Hello and welcome, I'm Samantha Simmons. Donald Trump says he was the target of a would-be assassin [0:05] after gunshots were fired just outside a ballroom where he was attending a gala dinner. [0:10] The American president was rushed to safety after a man armed with guns and knives [0:14] attempted to enter the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel. [0:20] Mr Trump was unhurt, but a Secret Service agent was hit. Police say his life was saved by his [0:25] bulletproof vest. Some of the most prominent American political figures were also in attendance [0:30] at the event, along with hundreds of journalists and diplomats. This image, which President Trump [0:36] shared on social media, shows the suspect. He's been named as Cole Thomas Allen and he's expected [0:42] to be charged with several offences, including using a firearm during a crime of violence. [0:48] Well, these are live images outside Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., where [0:53] the suspect is being held in custody following Saturday night's incident. [0:58] And these are the live pictures from outside a property in Torrance, California, at an address [1:02] believed to be linked to the alleged gunman. The FBI are reported to be searching the building. [1:08] Our correspondent Tom Bateman was among journalists invited to the event and has sent this report. [1:17] Chaos breaks out at the correspondent's dinner. President Trump is bundled from the stage. [1:23] Also in the melee and rushed away, the First Lady, Melania Trump, and the Vice President, [1:29] J.D. Vax. The Secret Service agents, heavily armed, swarmed the room, filled with thousands [1:37] of journalists. [1:39] And here, what had triggered it? A man police say is armed with a shotgun, a handgun and knives, [1:46] rushes the security inside the hotel. Witnesses then tell me they heard gunfire break out [1:52] and pandemonium is unleashed in a room packed with the world's most powerful politicians. [1:57] I was at one of the tables just metres from the stage where the President was sitting. [2:03] Well, we've just seen the entire stage at the correspondence dinner being evacuated. [2:07] The President was there and everyone here, you can see, is under the tables at the moment. [2:14] We saw security forces rush in, armed with guns. You can see now on the stage, there are... [2:22] Excellent. Security forces armed with guns. [2:28] In the room, other top members of the U.S. government caught in the pandemonium as Secret [2:33] Services swarm the venue. Terrified guests take cover, others escape the dinner room, making [2:40] their way through the hotel. [2:42] Every single person around me just jumped under a table. [2:46] We heard three shots back to back, pop, pop, pop. And I bolted for the door. [2:52] We just come through security, so they're not letting us back in now. So you've got lots [2:57] of Secret Service, lots of security people, and quite a few people coming out of the ballroom. [3:03] And one of the guys at the security entrance there just said this is now being treated as [3:08] a crime scene and we have to leave that area. [3:11] As guests were told to leave, Mr Trump was moticated out and the event cancelled before [3:17] the President held a news conference at the White House. He called the alleged gunman a [3:21] lone wolf whack job. [3:22] That was very unexpected, but incredibly acted upon by Secret Service and law enforcement. [3:32] And this was an event dedicated to freedom of speech that was supposed to bring together [3:41] members of both parties with members of the press. And in a certain way it did, because [3:47] the fact that they just unified, I saw a room that was just totally unified. It was in one [3:53] way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing to see. A man charged a security checkpoint armed [4:00] with multiple weapons and he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service [4:06] and they acted very quickly. [4:08] Police say the alleged gunman is a 31-year-old man from California who is now being examined [4:14] in hospital. This was a story being told as it unfolded in front of America's journalists, [4:20] crouched down in a moment of fear despite the glitz and the glassware of this Washington [4:25] calendar event. And a President bundled off stage as a gunman once again got close. [4:32] Tom Bateman, BBC News, Washington. [4:35] The suspected gunman is due to appear in court tomorrow to face firearms and assault charges. [4:41] The incident has put the President's security back in the spotlight as Joe Inwood reports. [4:47] Within hours, police were searching the California home of the man at the centre of a night of [4:54] chaos. Authorities say he's admitted wanting to target Donald Trump or his officials. [5:01] He's been identified as Cole Allen, a 31-year-old from the city of Torrance. [5:06] He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. As he ran through that checkpoint, [5:12] members of law enforcement from the United States Secret Service intercepted that individual. [5:17] This is not Donald Trump's first brush with a would-be assassin. [5:22] In July of 2024, when he was a candidate for the presidency, he was shot in his right ear [5:31] during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, as witnessed by my colleague Gary O'Donoghue. [5:36] As you can see, we're on the ground behind our car, which is not ideal, but that's the shelter [5:43] we have at the moment. [5:45] His defiant reaction helped propel him to the White House, but not before another attempt on his life. [5:52] In September of the same year, he was rushed to safety after a suspected gunman was spotted hiding [5:58] in the bushes of his Florida golf club. [6:00] Last night, as guests left the Washington Hilton, there were already questions being asked about security at the event. [6:09] It's reported that Cole Allen was staying at the hotel, and the security checks were only cursory. [6:16] This afternoon, President Reagan emerged from the Washington Hilton. [6:19] It's also not the first time this specific venue has seen an attempt on a president's life. [6:24] ...shot fired at close range from a .22-caliber pistol. [6:27] In 1981, Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded as he left an event. He suffered a punctured lung. [6:33] We and our allies stand together... [6:36] In a statement, King Charles said he is greatly relieved that President Trump, who came on a state visit to the UK last year, is unharmed. [6:44] This is truly one of the highest honours of my life. [6:47] The King and Queen begin a trip to Washington tomorrow, marking two and a half centuries of U.S. independence. [6:53] Buckingham Palace says further discussions about security will now take place. [6:58] These people, they're crazy. [7:00] Donald Trump, maybe America's most controversial modern president, has now faced multiple attempts on his life. [7:06] Your team, for a while, rethought outdoor events. [7:09] Yeah. [7:10] Do you think that you now need to rethink indoor? [7:12] No. Well, but then you just don't do events. [7:15] No, I can't do that. I have to... [7:17] You know, it is what it is. We have to do it. [7:20] The room was very, very secure. [7:22] You know, he charged from 50 yards away, so he was very far away from the room. [7:26] Back in California, and police continue to search the home of Cole Allen. [7:31] But the questions raised here will go far beyond what motivated one man to try and kill Donald Trump. [7:38] Joe Inwood, NBC News. [7:40] President Donald Trump and officials in his administration were the likely targets of the attack. [7:46] Speaking to ABC this week with George Stephanopoulos, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche explained what they knew about the gunman at this early stage. [7:55] The FBI and other law enforcement worked through the night. [7:59] They executed search warrants on both coasts, both in D.C. at the hotel room where he was [8:05] staying, which was inside the conference center where we had the dinner, and also in Los Angeles [8:11] at the suspected home. [8:13] We know that he had two firearms on him, as has been reported, along with some knives. [8:18] We believe that he traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then Chicago to Washington, D.C. [8:25] And we have executed search warrants on his devices as well. [8:30] We have started talking to folks that know him and try to just continue to gather information and evidence. [8:38] This is... [8:39] I was on the phone with the director of the FBI after 1 o'clock last night, and he... [8:43] They were working through the night. [8:45] He was working through the night. [8:46] And I think that as the days go by, we will certainly learn more. [8:50] But that's what we know so far. [8:52] JOHN YANG, President of the United States of the United States of Washington, D.C. [8:53] Are you confident he was acting alone? [8:54] Look, it's 12 hours in. [8:57] As President Trump said last night, we... [8:59] It appears he did. [9:00] We don't have evidence to the contrary. [9:02] But that's not that surprising, given the timing and when everything happened. [9:06] We are actively combing through all the evidence that we have collected and going to continue [9:14] to do that today and in the coming days and weeks. [9:17] And if he did not act alone or if folks knew what he was doing or helped him along the way, [9:22] we will find that out. [9:23] We don't have evidence to show that as of this morning. [9:27] Our North America correspondent Shaima Khalil is in Washington. [9:31] She described the press conference Donald Trump gave shortly after the incident. [9:35] Even with so many people still in the ballroom, it was... [9:41] He said that he wanted to go on. [9:43] But, of course, the security officials have said that it was protocol that this event had to end. [9:48] But in that press conference, he said, I really wanted to continue with the night. [9:54] He said that we'll do it again. [9:55] The night will be rescheduled. [9:57] But, yes, he wanted to appear in front of everyone. [10:00] He wanted to address the nation and address the press and give as much information as he could at the time. [10:07] We are now hearing from the Acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche. [10:11] He's been speaking this morning to some of the Sunday morning shows. [10:15] And he said that the investigation into the motive continues. [10:19] But preliminary findings suggest that the suspect was targeting administration officials and possibly the President. [10:26] Mr. Blanche also said that the suspect was not actively cooperating with the investigation or with the officers. [10:35] And he confirmed that the suspect was staying in the hotel in the days leading up to what happened last night. [10:42] We know that Cole Thomas Allen, the suspect, is going to appear in court tomorrow on Monday. [10:47] And he will be charged with assaulting a federal officer, discharging of a firearm and attempting to kill a federal officer. [10:54] He is likely to face more charges as this investigation continues. [10:58] But at the heart of all of this, and you have heard it asked in so many ways, is the security breached of a high-profile event in that building behind me, the Washington Hilton Hotel. [11:08] One of the most secured areas in the whole country, as someone put it to me. [11:13] And you can still see the barricades. [11:14] And these were put up last night because, of course, the President, the First Lady and senior members of the Cabinet were there. [11:21] How the suspect was able to get as close as he did, being heavily armed as he was. [11:28] A shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. [11:31] Now, the head of the Secret Service, the director of the Secret Service and other law enforcement officials will tell you that the way the event unfolded shows that the security plan actually worked. [11:43] Officers acted very quickly. They acted within seconds. [11:46] He was apprehended. He was prevented from entering the ballroom. [11:50] But again, the flip side of that is, well, how was he able to breach that security when the more than 2,000 guests were heavily checked? [12:00] You have to present a ticket. It was very, very, very secured and sealed. [12:05] So how was he able to get as close as he did? [12:08] So Washington wakes up today taking stock of the fact that this massive security breach happened in an event where the President, the First Lady and senior members of his Cabinet, [12:19] the President were present. And remember, not the first high-profile event where the President is present, that a security breach happens. [12:27] Shima Kalil there. [12:29] Well, also in Washington ahead of the King's planned visit is our senior Royal Correspondent Daniela Ralph, who gave an update on what the Palace have said about the security surrounding the trip. [12:39] The King and Queen are due to begin their state visit and arrive here in Washington tomorrow afternoon, US time. [12:46] And we are expecting from the UK Government and Buckingham Palace later today a definitive answer as to whether this visit is going ahead. [12:54] I have to say, I think the mood music is that it will. [12:57] I suspect the President would very much be in a position of wanting the show to go on. [13:02] But at this stage, it is not his call. [13:05] So over the next few hours, there will be meetings between the White House, Buckingham Palace, the UK Government and the UK Embassy here in Washington [13:13] to review all of the plans around the state visit before confirming that they can go ahead. [13:18] Now, as you would imagine, with any visit that involves a King and a President, heavy security was already baked into every single bit of the plan. [13:28] I will be travelling with the King this week on a number of engagements that he will be doing if this trip goes ahead. [13:33] And we are having to arrive hours and hours before each engagement to make sure we go through all the security checks. [13:39] So there is already heavy security around this trip. [13:42] But what the meetings this afternoon will be doing is looking at each of the engagements, particularly the ones for the King. [13:47] that are going to be public facing to decide whether any kind of light adjustments need to be made with the programme in light of events last night. [13:57] Yeah. And this visit was also always already a little bit controversial, wasn't it? [14:02] Given the events going on in the Middle East and there were questions over the past few weeks of whether or not this should be going ahead, [14:08] given the criticism that Donald Trump has laid at the foot of the UK Government. [14:13] Tell us a little bit more about that and how the King is going to navigate this trip. [14:18] Yeah, this was already going to be a challenging state visit. [14:24] And in light of what happened last night, it has got just that bit trickier. [14:28] But I think both sides at this stage will be very keen for things to continue as planned. [14:34] They have been planned for months and months, more than a year, really, in terms of each of the engagements. [14:39] And I think everybody involved would like to just push forward with this. [14:42] I think especially for the White House and the embassy, the UK embassy here in Washington, [14:46] it is a chance to very much put on a show and to try and show that the UK-US relationship, [14:52] which obviously has been a little bit bumpy in recent months, is very much back on track using that soft diplomacy that the King can deploy. [14:59] We know, of course, that the president is a big fan of the British royal family. [15:03] And that is an incredibly helpful tool for the UK Government during this state visit. [15:08] I think from the White House as well that, you know, in terms of this idea that things must go on, [15:12] as we heard from the president last night in his news conference, [15:15] that they will not want to make it look as though they are having to change lots of plans around this state visit. [15:20] They will want it to continue with the pomp and ceremony involved. [15:23] So my hunch is things will go ahead as normal, but we will have a final call on that later today. [15:29] Well, the royal commentator, Jenny Bond, gave us her analysis a little earlier. [15:35] The move music very much as they all want it to go ahead. [15:38] I mean, it is the very eleventh hour now to call it off. [15:41] So I think they will be reviewing those. [15:43] There's very few occasions when there is going to be face-to-face with members of the public. [15:48] It was already very restricted indeed, no walkabouts. [15:51] But there must be a great deal of nervousness now at the palace, [15:55] and you would think from the King and the Queen particularly themselves, [15:59] to be in a state of such peril out there in such a difficult time. [16:05] Personally, I am one of those commentators who said for quite some time now [16:10] that I don't think it should be going ahead. [16:12] Not at this time anyway. [16:14] Why not postpone it? [16:16] And that could have been done weeks ago when President Trump was sounding off [16:20] about British forces not being at the front line when the Iran war began. [16:26] There were all sorts of excuses, you might call them, or reasons to say, [16:30] you know, perhaps this isn't the best time. [16:33] It could have been done diplomatically. [16:35] It would have caused mild offence, I suppose, with President Trump, [16:39] but I think in the end he would have understood. [16:42] But that decision was and always has been and remains with the government. [16:47] Of course, the palace have some say, but it is up to the King to do what the government wants. [16:53] And it seems to me that the government has not listened to the mood music of the people of this country. [16:59] And it seems, I think, in Britain, everyone I've heard interviewed or talked to myself saying, [17:06] well, no, not now. This is ridiculous. [17:09] Maybe go in July. July the 4th, that is Independence Day. [17:12] Go later. But right now, it's just too tricky. [17:15] Jenny Bond-Royal commentator there. [17:18] Jeff Rogg is a senior research fellow at the Global and National Security Institute [17:22] at the University of South Florida. [17:24] He explained how security planning works at high-profile events like the White House Correspondents Dinner. [17:30] The Secret Service has been in this game for a very long time. [17:33] And the president is by far the most protected person in the free world. [17:37] I can't emphasize enough how many layers of planning and security and intelligence [17:43] go into even planning an event that involves the president of the United States. [17:47] And this would include working with the U.S. intelligence community, [17:50] local law enforcement, and when the president is traveling overseas, [17:54] the security services and foreign intelligence services of those states. [17:58] Are you surprised that given the threats that Donald Trump has faced [18:01] and the attempts on his life, that an event like this would take place in a hotel, [18:06] where obviously there are ordinary members of the public staying, [18:10] so they can't assess everybody in that hotel, or they certainly didn't, it seems. [18:15] You're exactly right. And the president, in his remarks, said himself, [18:21] you know, what do you expect the president to do in the future? [18:23] The president is a public figure. They need to attend public events. [18:26] It's more the type of threat that's the difficulty here. [18:30] It's much easier from an intelligence perspective to look for big things, organized things, [18:36] threats that involve either foreign states or foreign actors, [18:39] than honestly to look for an American citizen, a lone wolf attack, as they'd call it. [18:45] So how are the security services evolving to try and deal with these threats, do you think? [18:52] That's really the hard point where we're at. [18:57] You know, we've evolved such great and sophisticated capabilities when it comes to intelligence, [19:03] signals intelligence, you know, to listen in on what people are saying. [19:07] But the problem with the United States is we also have protections and civil liberties and constitutional rights. [19:14] And it makes it much more difficult from both an intelligence and a law enforcement angle [19:19] to identify individual citizens as threats. [19:22] You'd need warrants, for instance, to spy on them. [19:24] And in this case, you know, right now what we're going to be looking for is, [19:28] was this person talking to anyone online? [19:31] Was there any indication that he was part of a network or a group? [19:34] If he wasn't, then that makes it even harder to identify threats like this in the future.