Sounds of gunfire were heard during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, the United States (US) today, BBC reports.
Following the incident, security personnel quickly escorted the President of the US, Donald Trump, out of the venue as a precaution.
The president was speaking at the Washington Hilton when a sudden commotion happened near the White House table, the BBC reported.
Loud bangs were heard, and United States Secret Service agents quickly escorted President Donald Trump out of the venue while shouting, “stay down, stay down.”
Senior adviser Stephen Miller was also seen being taken out of the crowd. Many attendees crouched down during the incident but stayed inside after the president was evacuated.
Some reports also suggest that a shooter is in custody.
White House Correspondents’ Dinner
President Trump and other officials were quickly moved out of the Washington Hilton after what sounded like gunshots were heard.
Senior officials, including Kash Patel, were also evacuated after about five gunshot-like sounds were reported, the BBC reported.
There has been no official confirmation about what happened. Media and other guests at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner remained in the ballroom.
CBS News, a US-based partner of the BBC, reported that the President and First Lady were taken away from the stage by the United States Secret Service.
After they left, armed agents from the Counter Assault Team were seen on stage with weapons pointed toward the back of the room.
CBS also reported that soon after, security officers rushed another guest to the front, moving quickly over tables and chairs while other guests stayed down on the floor.
The dinner is arranged every year, and hosts many famous personalities. The dinner is expected to resume soon, some reports claim.
“All of our protectees are safe,” a spokesperson for the United States Secret Service said, reports say.
BBC reports that spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed that the president, the first lady, and others under Secret Service protection are safe. He added that one person has been taken into custody, but their condition is not yet known.
‘The shooter has been apprehended’: Trump
President Trump holds press conference
President Donald Trump is holding a news conference after he was escorted off stage.
Trump said that one Secret Service officer was shot from a very close distance, but he was saved by his bulletproof vest.
“I just spoke to the officer, and he’s doing great,” Trump said. “He has very high spirits, and we told him we love him and respect him, and he’s a very proud guy.”
“This was an event dedicated to freedom of speech that was meant to unify,” he said. “We need levels of security that you’ve never seen before,” he added.
He also said that this is not the first time in the last couple of years that a Republican has been attacked by a “would-be-assassin”.
Donald Trump said the suspect, who is now in custody, was “a very sick person.” He added that such incidents should not happen.
Further, he thanked the event organisers for managing what he called a “beautiful evening” focused on free speech and the Constitution.
He said the event will be rescheduled within the next 30 days and promised it will be bigger and better. ‘I don’t think the shooting incident has anything to do with the Iran war’, he added.
Trump also thanked the media, saying they acted responsibly while covering the situation.
