Police in the United States arrested a suspected gunman who stormed the lobby outside the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, where US President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet were attending. The firing prompted the evacuation of the president and guests from the media gala on Saturday evening. Trump later called the incident an attack by a “would-be assassin.”
Security personnel shot at the suspect after he forced his way through a checkpoint just outside the hotel ballroom, where hundreds of formally dressed guests were assembled. US media identified the man as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen; official confirmation has not been released. People dived under tables as Secret Service teams swarmed into the ballroom.
“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service,” Trump told reporters shortly after the incident. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too,” he added, after posting video of the suspect sprinting past security as guards drew their weapons.
Who is the suspected attacker?
Law enforcement officials say the suspect lives in Torrance, California, a coastal city near Los Angeles. The interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department said investigators believe the suspect was staying as a guest at the Washington Hilton, which may explain how he entered during the event, though a motive has not been established.
Social media posts appearing to be linked to Allen indicate he was named “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024 by the Torrance branch of C2 Education, a national private tutoring and test-preparation company. A LinkedIn profile under his name describes him as “a mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth.”
Federal campaign finance records show Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee supporting Kamala Harris for president in 2024. Trump said he thought it unlikely the shooting was linked to the US-Israel war on Iran, saying, “It’s not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, I really don’t think so, based on what we know.”
What do we know about security at the hotel?
The hotel was closed to the public starting at 2pm (18:00 GMT) ahead of the dinner, which began at 8pm (00:00 GMT). Access was limited to hotel guests, ticket holders, invitation holders for associated receptions, or WHCA-affiliated credential holders. Dozens of protesters gathered outside in the rain.
About 2,300 guests attending the event in the hotel’s subterranean ballroom passed through multiple security checks, including ticket checks and magnetometers staffed by the Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration. Security camera footage released by Trump shows the suspect running past security officers who appear to be disassembling metal detectors once the president was already seated; additional attendees were not being admitted to the secured area at that point.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the footage “shows that our multilayered protection works,” and the Metropolitan Police interim chief echoed that the security plan “did work this evening.” Still, reporters noted questions remain about whether security measures were sufficient and how the suspect gained access.
What about past attacks on Trump?
Trump has faced multiple assassination attempts and threats over recent years. The most serious occurred in July 2024 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman on a rooftop opened fire; a spectator was killed, Trump sustained a wound to the ear, and Secret Service agents shot dead the attacker, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.
In September 2024, authorities said an armed man lay in wait near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, intending to kill him. Prosecutors said the suspect, Ryan Routh, spent weeks planning the attack, aimed a rifle through bushes as Trump played golf, but was spotted by a Secret Service agent and arrested. Routh was later convicted of attempting to kill the president and sentenced to life.
Also in September, 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin was shot dead after entering Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida with a shotgun; Trump was not on the property at the time.