WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were safe after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, the U.S. Secret Service said.
“The president and the first lady are safe along with all protectees,” the Secret Service said in a statement, adding that one individual was taken into custody and the incident occurred near the main screening area for the event.
Shots were allegedly fired as Trump and the First Lady attended the high-profile press dinner in Washington, witnesses and AFP reporters said, as loud bangs were heard at the hotel venue.
Guests at the black-tie White House Correspondents’ Dinner scrambled to hide under tables, while tactical teams with guns drawn took positions on the stage where Trump had been seated before he was evacuated.
Police swarmed the Washington Hilton Hotel, where the event was taking place, while helicopters hovered overhead. CNN and other U.S. media reported that Trump was unharmed.
The White House press pool said an alleged shooter was in custody, citing the Secret Service, though the report was not immediately officially confirmed. Unconfirmed reports suggested one person was injured, but details were not immediately available.
The incident happened after the welcoming speech and during dinner, before Trump was due to speak. Trump administration officials appeared to have been evacuated first as uncertainty remained over what exactly had happened.
Cabinet official Mehmet Oz said “shots fired upstairs” as he was rushed out by security.
'Lone wolf'
President Donald Trump said Saturday he believes the suspected shooter who stormed the White House correspondents' dinner was a "lone wolf."
"In my opinion, he was a lone wolf," Trump said, describing the man as a "whack job" and saying he felt there was no reason to believe the attack was connected to the war in Iran.
Suspect to be arraigned on Monday
The shooting suspect accused of storming the Washington media gala attended Saturday by President Donald Trump will be arraigned in the US capital on Monday, the federal prosecutor said.
The suspect -- who exchanged gunfire with Secret Service agents but was not shot himself -- will appear before a US district judge on Monday.
According to US Attorney Jeanine Piro, the suspect will be charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
Pakistan PM ‘shocked over shooting incident
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was deeply shocked by the disturbing shooting incident at the dinner in Washington.
“Relieved to know that President Trump, the First Lady, and other attendees are safe. My thoughts and prayers are with him, and I wish him continued safety and well-being,” Sharif said in a statement posted on social media platform X.
Trump was previously the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024, when a gunman fired several shots, killing one rally-goer and lightly wounding him in the ear.
A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of a rifle protruding from bushes near the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing.
The Washington Hilton, where Saturday’s gala was held, was also the site where former Republican President Ronald Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin in 1981.
Despite the incident, organizers told guests that the White House Correspondents’ Dinner would continue. Trump was attending the event for the first time while in office.
The White House Correspondents’ Association had invited Trump this year despite his repeated attacks on the media, a move that drew backlash across newsrooms, with hundreds of journalists signing an open letter urging attendees to challenge his restrictions on press freedom.
