King Charles’ state visit to US to go on as planned after shooting
King Charles’ state visit to the US will go ahead as planned on Monday despite the shooting incident at a White House dinner attended by President Donald Trump, Buckingham Palace said after discussions with US officials. FRANCE 24’s Bénédicte Paviot reports from London.
Suspect referred to himself as a ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’, US media reports
The man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner sent writings to family members minutes before the shooting referring to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin,” railing against Trump administration policies and signaling what investigators increasingly believe was a politically driven attack, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told AP.
The writings, sent shortly before shots were fired at the Washington Hilton, made repeated references to President Donald Trump without naming him directly and alluded to grievances over a range of administration actions and recent events, including US strikes on drug smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific, the official said.
Authorities also uncovered what the official described as numerous anti-Trump social media posts linked to the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old California man accused of trying to breach a security checkpoint at the dinner while armed with multiple weapons.
Allen’s brother contacted police in New London, Connecticut, after receiving the writings, according to the official. A police spokesperson said they contacted federal law enforcement after receiving that information.
US Secret Service followed procedures ‘successfully’ during shooting incident
Amid questions over security following the shooting incident at a press gathering attended by President Donald Trump, Richard Kolko, a former FBI supervisory special agent, said US Secret Service followed procedures “successfully” on Saturday.
“The principal was protected,” said Kolko, referring to Trump. “He was removed from the dangerous situation fairly quickly,” and the suspect was unable to “get close to the president,” he added.
Trump says UK’s King Charles still coming to US
President Donald Trump has said Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla visit to the US on Monday will continue as planned.
In an interview on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing”, Trump was asked about the visit. The US president replied that the British monarch’s trip would proceed as planned before Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting incident.
“He’s a great guy, and we look forward to it. He’s really a fantastic person and a tremendous representative, and he’s brave,” Trump said.
“We’re gonna have a great time. And he represents his nation like nobody else can do it,” Trump added.
Trump says shooting suspect wrote anti-Christian manifesto
President Donald Trump has said the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect wrote an anti-Christian manifesto.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said the manifesto showed suspect was a “very troubled guy” who “had a lot of hatred for quite a while”.
Trump says shooting suspect didn’t come close to ballroom
President Donald Trump said in an interview on Sunday on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing” that the suspected shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was stopped by law enforcement and didn’t come close to entering the ballroom where the event was taking place.
Trump says shooting proves need for his White House ballroom
President Donald Trump has used the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to push his plans to construct a huge ballroom next to the White House that has faced legal challenges.
“What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The $400-million ballroom has become a passion project for Trump during his second term and he has addressed it often in public appearances, press conferences and meetings.
In his Sunday post, Trump lauded the security features of the proposed ballroom, which has faced widespread public criticism for its outsized scale and the lack of consultation.
“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House,” Trump wrote. “It cannot be built fast enough! While beautiful, it has every highest level security feature there is.”
UK’s Starmer speaks to Trump, expresses ‘relief’ over US president’s safety
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to President Donald Trump on Sunday and expressed relief that the US president and the first lady were safe following the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“He (Starmer) extended his best wishes to the president and first lady following the shocking scenes at last night’s White House Correspondents Dinner,” the spokesperson said.
They added that Starmer had “expressed his relief that the president and first lady were safe and wished a speedy recovery to the officer injured.”
Suspect ‘not actively cooperating’ with Trump attack probe: US attorney general
The gunman who attempted to storm the White House Correspondents Dinner ballroom was believed to be targeting top Trump administration officials, the acting US attorney general said Sunday.
Todd Blanche, speaking to CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” said that “very preliminary” information has led investigators to believe the man “was targeting members of the administration.”
The gunman is “not actively cooperating” and is believed to have traveled to Washington by train from Los Angeles via Chicago, said Blanche — who was in the Washington Hilton ballroom Saturday night with US President Donald Trump and hundreds of other dignitaries and journalists during the attempted attack.
Shooter was likely targeting Trump administration officials, acting US attorney general says
US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that law enforcement believes that the alleged White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter was targeting Trump administration officials.
“It does appear that he, he did, in fact, have set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the President,” Blanche told NBC News’ “Meet the Press”.
He added that the suspect likely traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington, DC.
EU’s von der Leyen spoke with Trump to express solidarity after shooting
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she spoke with US President Donald Trump to express solidarity after the president was rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday after a man opened fire on security personnel nearby.
“We underlined that political violence has no place in our democracies,” von der Leyen wrote in a post on social media platform X.
King Charles relieved Trump and first lady unharmed after shooting
Britain’s King Charles is greatly relieved to hear Trump and the first lady are unharmed, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson, after a shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner.
The spokesperson added that a number of discussions were taking place to evaluate how the shooting may impact operational planning for King Charles’ visit to the US next week.
What we know about the suspect in White House press dinner shooting
Authorities have identified 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen as the man accused of opening fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC. Armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, the suspect was subdued at the scene as investigators work to determine his motive and how he breached security.
The White House has reposted a video originally shared by Trump on social media showing CCTV footage of the suspect charging past agents standing guard at a security checkpoint in the Hilton hotel.
LA teacher taken into custody over gala shooting
Police identified Californian teacher Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California as the primary suspect for the shooting at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.
FRANCE 24’s Loic Pialat reports from Los Angeles.
Lebanon’s Aoun expresses ‘solidarity’ with Trump after attack
US presidency ‘dangerous profession’ Trump says after latest attack
Saturday’s attack was the latest in a series of threats to the US President’s life.
Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt that left him wounded in his upper ear in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024.
Just over two months later Secret Service agents spotted a man wielding a gun and hiding in bushes at a Florida golf club while Trump was on the course.
Watch more in FRANCE 24’s video below.
France’s Macron says attack at Trump media dinner ‘unacceptable’
Secret service agent struck in vest released from hospital
A secret service agent who was struck in the chest by gunfire the at a checkpoint in the Washington Hilton hotel has been released from hospital, officials said.
The attacker fired a shotgun at the agent before being tackled and arrested.
Trump told reporters at briefing at the White House that the officer was saved by his bulletproof vest and was in “good shape” but had been taken to hospital.
US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi later confirmed the officer had been released.
Mexico’s Sheinbaum says violence ‘never the way’
The Mexican president wrote on X that “it is good that President Trump and his wife are safe following the recent events. We send them our respect.”
“Violence must never be the way,” Sheinbaum added.