WASHINGTON (ITALPRESS) – An evening that should have celebrated journalism and the First Amendment has become a few moments in a panic and tension scene at Washington Hilton, where on Saturday evening the traditional dinner of the White House Correspondent Association was taking place, in the presence of President Donald Trump.
According to the reconstruction of the authorities and the testimonies of the present, a man armed with guns and knives, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31 years old, of Torrance, California, managed to reach the area of the outer lobby to the large underground dance hall that housed over two thousand guests. The man, who would be registered as a guest of the hotel, suddenly forced the security barriers, heading towards the entrance of the hall.
The moment of the assault was rapid and chaotic. Subsequently distributed videos show suspicion while running beyond the transennials, with the agents of the secret services that are launched to the chase. According to the report, man would open fire at this stage, giving rise to a confrontation a few meters from the entrance of the event.
New details of his intentions emerge now. Interim Justice Minister Todd Blanche said that in the sight of the aggressor there were members of the Trump administration, “probably included the president.” According to Blanche, the man would have planned the trip carefully, starting from California by train to Chicago and then to Washington, where he checked in as a guest at the gala hotel. “It would seem that he had planned to target people working in the administration,” said Blanche, furthermore, underlining that the suspect would not be collaborating with investigators.
The charges against him are worsening: in addition to the crimes related to firearms, he will have to respond to assault on a federal agent, explosion of gunshots and attempted murder of a federal agent. The shots resounded inside the ballroom, abruptly interrupting the dinner a few minutes after its beginning. Some images taken after the incident clearly show the marks of the bullets on the walls of the outer area, with evident holes and traces of the rescuers intervention, including gloves and first aid materials left on the floor.
A secret service agent was struck during the surgery, but the bulletproof jacket avoided serious consequences. The authorities confirmed that the agent is in recovery and is not in danger of life. The suspect was quickly immobilized, grounded by agents and taken into custody without bringing back wounds. He was transferred to the hospital for investigations before his detention.
Within the room, the perception of danger was immediate. Thousands of guests – largely journalists, government officials and public personalities – reacted instinctively to the noise of the gunfires. “There was fear that it was an attacker,” a journalist told us. “Everyone jumped to the ground, under the tables or behind the chairs. There was no real protection.”
Another witness described a strong vulnerability situation: “In a room with over two thousand people and few exits it was difficult to rescue. I had a front column offering a minimum shelter, but the feeling was of total exposure.” Many present, driven by professional instinct, began to film the scene even during the most concise moments. “We were journalists, so besides fear there was also a reaction to document what was happening.”
On stage there were President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and First Lady Melania Trump. The intervention of secret services was immediate and highly coordinated. The agents initially surrounded the president, copwhile the counter-assault team – heavily armed – headed to the shooting area. Trump was then escorted out of the stage through a back exit.
During the evacuation, the president would have tripped briefly, being immediately assisted by the agents of his security device. The vice president was evacuated first, followed by the first lady. Witnesses have described agents moving quickly between the tables, jumping and climbing chairs to reach and secure the members of the government.
After evacuation, the president was transferred to a secure presidential suite within the hotel. At first, the opportunity was to resume the evening: the staff continued to reorder the tables and the assistants regulated the teleprompter. However, on indication of the secret services, it was decided to definitively cancel the event and Trump was reported to the White House.
Two hours after the incident, the president showed himself to journalists declaring that it would be a “solo light” and wishing that dinner could be rescheduled within 30 days. He also criticized the security level of the location, stating that the place of the gala “is not particularly safe”.
The episode opened a serious question: how it was possible that a armed man “to the teeth” managed to approach so much to an event with the presence of the commander-in-chief and numerous members of the government. Secret Service’s deputy director Matthew Quinn called the incident “the attempt of a coward to generate a national tragedy”, adding that the suspect “underestimated the security capabilities of the Secret Service and was stopped at the first contact.”
Despite this, there are still doubts about the failures in the controls and how to access the hotel. The FBI and the Washington Police have started a thorough investigation. Federal agents went to a house in Torrance, California, which is believed to be linked to the suspect, where a search is planned. At the same time, audits continue on any prior contacts or signals: in Connecticut, an individual has provided information held relevant to the authorities, being questioned by law enforcement agencies before the closure of the local investigation.
Investigators are trying to reconstruct human movements in detail and understand if there have been any failure in prevention systems. It remains the awareness, shared by many present, that the episode could turn into a tragedy. “If it had been more organized, it could have been a massacre,” said one of the journalists present. In a crowded hall, with limited escape routes and thousands of people, the rapid intervention of secret services has probably avoided much more dramatic consequences.
In the aftermath of the attack, numerous reactions came from the international community. The President of the Council Giorgia Meloni expressed “full solidarity and more sincere closeness to President Trump, First Lady Melania, Vice President Vance and all present”, stressing that “no political hatred can find space in our democracies” and that “we will not allow fanaticism to poison the places of free debate and information”.
On the same line the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who reported that he had spoken with Trump to express solidarity, pointing out that “political violence did not place in our democracies”. French President Emmanuel Macron called the “unacceptable” attack, recalling that “violence did not place in a democracy” and expressing its support to the US president.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “dissolved” for what happened, showing relief that all present are safe and condannando “any attack on democratic institutions or freedom of press”. The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, also stressed that “political violence did not place in a democracy”, recalling that an event dedicated to freedom of press “ should never turn into a place of fear” and wishing prompt healing to the wounded agent.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez condemned aggression, stating that “violence is never the solution” and that progress passes through “democracy, coexistence and peace”. From the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of “tight assassination”, expressing relief for the president’s safety and commending the “short and decisive” action of the Secret Service. Messages of closeness also arrived from Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was called “profoundly upset”, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who said that “there is no place for violence in politics”.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the incident, pointing out that in democracies “the fights lead through ideas” and that “there is no place for any form of violence”. In the meantime, it has been confirmed that the state visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla in Washington will take place regularly in the coming days, signal of the will not to stop the institutional activity despite what happened.
-foto Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS)
Washington in shock. Shoots, chaos and nodes of the assault on the dinner with Trump
