Suspected gunman was likely targeting White House officials at press dinner, acting attorney general says

The gunman who tried to breach the ballroom at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington DC on Saturday night is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, the acting US attorney general, Todd Blanche, said on Sunday morning.

Blanche also said officials believe that the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where he checked in as a guest at the hotel where one of the capital’s glitziest annual events was being held, the Washington Hilton.

Donald Trump was rushed off the stage at the sound of gunshots. The US president could be seen dropping to the floor as Secret Service agents protected him, then got him to his feet and rushed him out. The first lady, Melania Trump, had been talking to the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, when muffled sounds of gunshots just outside the ballroom were heard rang out. The two women gasped and Trump turned his head to see what was happening.

JD Vance was rushed from the room in the opposite direction from the president moments later. An armed 31-year-old suspect was subdued and is now in custody facing criminal charges. Blanche was interviewed on NBC’s Meet the Press.

He said the alleged gunman will face charges that include assault of a federal officer, discharging a firearm and attempting to kill a federal officer.

Surveillance footage shows a man rushing across the space outside the ballroom. A federal agent was shot but was wearing a bulletproof vest, and was taken to hospital but discharged on Sunday.

Trump was due to address the annual black-tie dinner honoring the White House press corps for the first time as president. But the meal was barely beginning when the event in the vast ballroom was suddenly interrupted by confusion and chaos.

The president, his wife and senior members of his administration were sitting at a high table with Trump seated next to the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, Weijia Jiang.

As shots rang out, journalists and guests ducked under tables and law enforcement officers with rifles blocked lines of sight to the president as he was rushed from the room.

Blanche on Sunday morning said he did not think the suspect in the incident was cooperating with the authorities. He said he did not know if there was any connection to the US-Israel war in Iran. The suspect is expected to appear in federal court in Washington on Monday.

CNN’s veteran reporter and anchor Wolf Blitzer reported that he saw someone with a gun at the event.