The suspect fired a handgun at a Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint in the Washington Hilton hotel before being controlled and arrested. Mr. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were taken out of dinner.
It seems that the real suspect targeted people working in the administration, possibly including the President" - US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
The US Acting Attorney General added that the suspect may have traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington.
The suspect will be indicted in federal court on April 27 on charges of assaulting a federal officer, shooting and plotting to kill a federal officer, Mr. Blanche informed. He does not know if there was any connection with Iran in the attack on the evening of April 25.
Mr. Trump also told reporters at a late-night press conference at the White House that he believed he was the target of the attack. He said the Secret Service officer was rescued thanks to his bulletproof vest and is in good condition.
US Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed that the officer had been discharged from the hospital.
A law enforcement official identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, a California resident of about 31 years old. Social media posts show that the suspect is a teacher in Torrance, near Los Angeles.
Acting Washington Police Chief Jeffery Carroll informed that the suspect was equipped with a hunting rifle, a handgun and many knives. The suspect was taken to a local hospital for a health check, but it is too early to talk about his motives. Based on initial information, the suspect is believed to be a hotel guest.
The shooting occurred at about 8:35 pm on April 25, raising new security questions from senior US officials, many of whom were gathered in a large hotel room during the annual White House Press Association dinner party.
The focus of the investigation may be how the gunman could smuggle the hunting rifle into the hotel where a major, prominent event in Washington was held.
