Published On 4/26/2026
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Last update: 09:22 (Mecca time)
American media reported that the authorities identified the suspect in the shooting incident that occurred near the location of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel as Cole Thomas Allen, 31 years old, and a resident of Torrance, California.
CNN reported from sources that the suspect works as a teacher and video game developer, while NBC reported from officials that he did not have a criminal record and was not being monitored by law enforcement authorities.
US President Donald Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner by his security team, due to a shooting incident at the party site.
Washington Police announced that the suspect in the attack was staying at the hotel, noting that it was still at the beginning of the investigation, while Trump stated that officials believed that he acted alone, and added, “He was a man who looked very evil when he fell.”
Trump also said that federal agents were raiding the suspect’s home in California.
ABC News quoted officials as saying that search operations linked to the suspect are currently underway in Southern California and Washington, DC.
The US Metropolitan Police said the shooting suspect was armed with a hunting rifle, a handgun and several knives.
The Associated Press reported, citing law enforcement officials, that Allen was arrested and placed in custody after rushing toward security checkpoints near the hotel that hosted the event.
The agency explained that security surveillance footage showed a man running through metal detectors, past security personnel, before officers confronted him with their weapons.
In this context, CBS News quoted two sources that the suspect told law enforcement authorities after his arrest that he wanted to shoot officials in the Trump administration.
Shootout
For its part, the New York Times reported that gunfire was heard while the audience was inside the hotel, prompting the Secret Service to secure the place and place the suspect in custody.
The newspaper quoted official sources as saying that the man tried to storm a Secret Service checkpoint and was in possession of firearms.
The Acting US Attorney General confirmed that two charges have been filed against the suspect, and that he will appear in court tomorrow, Monday.
The US Federal Prosecutor in Washington, Jeanine Pirro, also announced that the suspect will appear in court tomorrow, Monday, saying that the suspect will be charged with using a firearm while committing a violent crime and assaulting a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
The New York Times explained that the police and the Secret Service exchanged fire with the suspect during the incident, before controlling him and taking him to the hospital for a medical evaluation, without announcing that he had been shot.
Trump confirmed in a speech from the White House that “the gunman was quickly arrested by security personnel and a security officer was injured. I spoke with him and he is fine.”
