Criticism of security at Trump’s dinner and the shooter: “Iranian agents” could have brought in weapons | news

American media criticized what it described as “lax security” at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which included a shooting incident believed to have targeted President Donald Trump and officials in his administration, on Saturday evening.

The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post quoted informed officials as saying that the Trump administration gave the dinner a lower security classification than the classification given to events of national or international importance, despite the presence of the president and many members of the administration.

Officials explained that on such occasions that bring together a large number of officials, the Secretary of Homeland Security usually assigns the Secret Service responsibility for coordinating all security matters, through an official classification known as a “special national security event,” such as an inauguration ceremony or the State of the Union address.

Local and federal officials confirmed that this security classification was not issued during the dinner party.

Ceremony participants: This is how we entered the hall

The Wall Street Journal reported, citing party participants, that they were able to enter the Washington Hilton Hotel – where the dinner was held – through checkpoints in the surrounding streets, by presenting a dinner ticket or a copy of an invitation to attend one of the receptions that preceded the dinner.

Participants reported that staff reviewed tickets without scanning them, and no identity checks were conducted.

The newspaper said that all security personnel at the event were outside the hall, and their focus was on the demonstrators and new arrivals, adding, “Because apparently no one thought about what would happen if someone checked in the day before.”

Shooter mocks lax security

The Washington Post quoted law enforcement officials as saying that the suspected gunman, in a written statement, mocked the hotel’s lax security, writing that “Iranian agents” could easily have brought more dangerous weapons into the site.

The shooting suspect said, “I was expecting surveillance cameras on every corner, listening devices in hotel rooms, armed individuals every three meters, and metal detectors everywhere, but what I found was nothing,” according to the statement that the shooter sent to his relatives shortly before the incident.

The Secret Service of the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for protecting President Trump, stated that the site it was assigned to protect is limited to the ballroom and its immediate surroundings.

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, a spokesman for the Secret Service concluded that “the most important lesson of future events is the necessity of anticipating improvements at all levels,” noting that the agency is currently focusing on determining the cause of the incident and fully understanding the factors that led to it.

According to an informed source, officials from the Secret Service were seen at the hotel during the days preceding the event, conducting security inspections, which included questioning employees and searching various areas.

“He was targeting members of the Trump administration.”

American investigators suggested that the gunman, who was arrested after trying to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, intended to target Trump and senior administration officials.

Trump – who was quickly escorted out of the hotel hall in Washington by intelligence personnel – posted footage from surveillance cameras, showing the gunman running and crossing a security checkpoint, while security personnel quickly brandished their weapons.

After an exchange of gunfire, the suspect was arrested at the scene and underwent interrogation yesterday, Sunday, before his scheduled appearance in court on Monday.

American media reported that he was Cole Thomas Allen (31 years old), from the southwestern suburb of Los Angeles, California.

Prosecutor Todd Blanche said that based on preliminary information, investigators believe the man “was targeting members of the administration.”

Without providing evidence, Trump indicated on Sunday that the suspect wrote a statement that was “very anti-Christian.”

“When you read his statement, you will find that he hates Christianity,” he said in a phone call with Fox News, describing the attacker as “obviously very disturbed.”

The Washington Hilton Hotel, where the incident occurred, is the same hotel where former Republican President Ronald Reagan was subjected to an assassination attempt in 1981.