Washington shooting: Why did suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allen target President Trump | BBC News

President Donald Trump and his officials were the "likely" targets of a suspected gunman who attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche has said.

The suspect, named by US media as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was arrested after police said he opened fire near a security checkpoint during the event at a Washington DC hotel on Saturday.

Blanche, speaking to NBC News, said the alleged gunman’s motive is still under investigation, but that "preliminary" findings suggest he was targeting administration officials.

Trump, who was rushed off the stage to safety, told reporters at a briefing after the shooting on Saturday: "I can’t imagine that there’s any profession that’s more dangerous".

In a statement on Sunday, the White House said Trump "stands fearless" after surviving, alongside cabinet members, "an assassination attempt when shots were fired".

The White House Correspondents’ Association president, Weijia Jiang, called the attack "harrowing".
On Sunday, Jiang, who was sat next to Trump at the dinner, thanked the Secret Service for actions which "protected thousands of guests". She added the board will meet and determine how to proceed, and will release updates when available.

Trump told Fox News that the suspect "had a lot of hatred in his heart for a while", and said his family knew he had "difficulties". He added that the suspect had a "manifesto".

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Gary O’Donoghue, Tom Bateman, Regan Morris, Daniela Relph and Joe Pike.

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