The attempted attack during the annual correspondents’ dinner at the Washington Hilton, a kilometer from the White Houseled to the activation of emergency protocols of the United States Secret Service, whose priority was to guarantee the safety of the president donald trumpVice President JD Vance and key cabinet figures.
According to the American newspaper The New York Timesa man who carried several arms tried to break into the dinner that the Republican president was attending, so the local police detained the suspect during the event. White House Correspondents’ Associationcelebrated to commemorate the freedom of the press.
Donald Trump said he heard a loud noise toward the back of the ballroom before a US agent Secret service would shout: “Shooting“, so the agents ran towards the president of the United States and escorted him, along with the first lady, Melania Trumpat the exit of the hotel, where they protected him from the armed man.
The suspect of evading a security check at the Hilton hotel in Washington and exchange shots with law enforcement officers before being detained, he was identified as Cole Tomas Allen31 years old, originally from the city of Torrancein California. Therefore, this has been classified as another attack on Trump’s life.
Secret Service Protocols
According to what was stated by the American media Axioshe Secret service deployed a protection operation that included several safety rings and the Hilton hotel was closed to the public from 2:00 p.m. Washington time, which limited access to guestsguests with credentials special and personal authorized.
Under the circumstances, according to the website Militarydedicated to the United States armed forces, more than 2 thousand Attendees passed additional checks that included ticket verification and passing through magnetometersoperated by the Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration (TSAfor its acronym in English).
Consequently, once President Donald Trump took his seat in the main hall, access to the area was completely closed. restricted and crews began dismantling the metal detectors, at which point the attacker attempted to advance and outwit security controls at the White House, which were compromised.
Despite that, the director of the Secret Service, Sean Curranstated that the protection system “worked as planned”, even if the event quickly turned into a situation of panic last Saturday, April 25, when a man carrying various weapons crossed the security checkpoint murder to Trump.
Trump’s immediate evacuation
Before Washington Metropolitan Police arrested Cole Tomas Allen with a shotguna pistol and several knivesthe suspect managed to overcome the first security barrier because he was guest of the hotel, so the internal protocol included evacuation immediate of Trump, Vance and Melania, along with the rest of the cabinet.
The American newspaper The Boston Globe indicated that the armed agents occupied strategic positions inside the living room, including the sceneryand established a physical perimeter around the presidential table, where there were even armored plates hidden under the tablecloth, with the aim of protecting Trump.
Finally, the news division KSAT reported that the security measures of the Secret Service include coordination with escorts from other agencies, background checks for all attendees and a contingency plan based on previous experiences, such as the attack against the president Ronald Reaganin March 1981.