By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani leaders condemned the shooting that erupted Saturday night outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington and voiced relief that President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and other top American officials were unharmed.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted on X that he was “deeply shocked by the disturbing shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., a short while ago.” He added, “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.”
President Asif Ali Zardari issued a separate statement calling the shooting “a heinous act of terrorism” while expressing relief that Trump and the first lady were safe. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar wrote on X that Pakistan “strongly condemn[s] all forms of violence, which is enemy of diplomacy and intolerable in any civilised society,” and sent “best wishes” to the American people.
The Pakistani reaction came as the government has built unusually close working ties with the Trump administration in its second term. Officials here have used those relations to position Pakistan as a quiet go-between for Washington and Tehran amid tensions that have continued since February.
The gunfire broke out at the Washington Hilton hotel as roughly 2,600 guests gathered for the annual black-tie gala. President Trump and first lady were rushed from the ballroom of the Washington Hilton after gunshots rang out near the entrance to Association dinner, an event long regarded as a Washington ritual of political theater and journalistic self-regard.
Secret Service agents hustled the president and first lady backstage within moments of the gunfire, which erupted as guests had begun gathering for the gala. Attendees dove under tables. Waiters sprinted toward the exits. Cabinet officers, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, were pushed to the floor by agents in combat gear. Some security personnel took positions on the stage, rifles trained on the ballroom. Trump was overheard telling aides, “We are staying,” according to a person familiar with the moment. He remained backstage for nearly an hour before leaving the hotel.
No one was seriously injured. A Secret Service officer was struck by a shotgun blast at a security checkpoint but was unharmed because the round struck an area protected by a bulletproof vest, officials said. The suspected gunman was tackled and taken into custody within seconds.Trump, who returned to the White House and held an impromptu news conference, described the attacker as a “lone wolf whack job” who had charged the checkpoint armed with multiple weapons. “One officer was shot but saved by the fact that he was wearing, obviously, a very good bulletproof vest,” the president said. He added that he believed he was the intended target, responding “I guess” when asked directly. Federal agents were searching the suspect’s home in California, Trump said, and he expressed confidence that the man had acted alone and had no connection to the ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran.
The incident marked the third time since 2024 that Trump has faced an apparent assassination attempt. In July 2024, a gunman wounded him in the upper ear at a rally in Butler, Pa.; the attacker was killed by Secret Service agents. Two months later, another man was arrested at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla., and later sentenced to life in prison. Saturday’s episode unfolded at the same hotel where President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded outside in 1981.
Multiple news organisations identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., in Los Angeles County. A LinkedIn profile under the name “Cole Allen” described him as a mechanical engineer, computer scientist, game developer and teacher; the profile photograph appeared to match images of the detained man circulated by Trump. The FBI confirmed that a suspect was in custody but declined to release his name publicly. US Attorney Jeanine Piro said Allen would be arraigned Monday in Washington and charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.
The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was canceled for the evening. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he hoped the event could be rescheduled within 30 days. In an earlier post, he wrote: “Quite an evening in DC. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job.” A second post confirmed that the first lady, Vice President JD Vance and all Cabinet members were “in perfect condition.”
The shooting occurred at the main screening area outside the ballroom. An FBI official told Reuters the man fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent before being subdued. Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, said the agency was investigating the episode as an attack near the event’s primary security checkpoint.
Leaders across the globe quickly condemned the attack and offered relief that Trump and the first lady were unharmed. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote that he was “relieved to learn that President Trump, the First Lady and Vice President are safe and unharmed,” adding that “violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned.” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the gunfire “terrifying” and said “violence must never be tolerated anywhere in the world.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese applauded the Secret Service and law enforcement for their “swift action.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote that “any attack on democratic institutions or on the freedom of the press must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.” French President Emmanuel Macron called the violence “unacceptable” and said “violence has no place in a democracy.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas issued similar statements emphasizing that political violence has no place in democratic societies.
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