The acting Attorney General of the United States, Todd Blanche, offered new details this Sunday about the attempted attack against Donald Trump during the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association. As he explained in an interview on the network NBC News, the alleged attacker checked into the same hotel where the event was being held and apparently targeted the president and other members of his Administration.
Blanche pointed out that the first investigations indicate that the suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, had traveled from California by train to Chicago and subsequently to Washington, where he stayed at the Washington Hilton, the scene of the foiled attack.
Objective: Trump and high-ranking officials
The acting attorney general stated that everything indicates that the detainee intended to attack members of the US Government present at the gala. "It seems that he set out to attack people who work in the Administration, probably including the president," he declared.
The correspondents' dinner was at that moment bringing together Trump, the first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, several cabinet secretaries, and numerous political and media figures.
How the attack occurred
The suspect was intercepted by the Secret Service when he tried to break in armed into the main hall area. According to authorities, he was carrying a pistol, a rifle, knives, and abundant ammunition. An agent was injured during the intervention, although not seriously.
Trump was immediately evacuated and left the premises unharmed.
Federal investigation opened
The fact that the attacker was staying at the hotel itself reinforces the hypothesis of a pre-planned action. The FBI maintains several lines of investigation open to determine how he prepared the attack, if he received external help, or if he acted completely alone.
The agents are also analyzing his movements, previous communications, and digital activity in the preceding days