A shooting occurred during a dinner hosted by the White House in honor of media representatives, after which US President Donald Trump was immediately moved to a safe location by Secret Service personnel.
The event was underway at the Washington Hilton Hotel, where seven to eight shots were reported.
President Trump later confirmed to the media at the White House that a Secret Service officer was shot during the shooting, but he was safe because of his bulletproof vest.
According to him, the attacker had a shotgun, a handgun and several knives.
The president said that “this is a tragic incident, but law enforcement agencies showed excellent performance.”
He added that “the hotel was not a safe place, which is why we are doing new construction at the White House.”
Trump announced that the event will be held again.
The president also released photos and CCTV footage of the attacker on his social media account, in which a man can be seen running towards the ballroom and opening fire.
He said the purpose of sharing the photos was to maintain transparency.
The FBI has confirmed that a suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the shooting at the Hilton Hotel.
Acting Metropolitan Police Chief Jeff Carroll said the attacker was armed with multiple weapons and was alone.
The injured Secret Service officer was taken to hospital and is in stable condition.
Trump said this was not the first time in two years that a Republican member of Congress had been targeted.
He cited two previous attempts on his life — one at a rally in Pennsylvania and the other while playing golf in Palm Beach, Florida.
The president called the attacker a “crazy person” and said:
“These are crazy people who need to be dealt with.”
According to them, the attacker attempted to attack from a distance of about fifty yards, to which security personnel responded immediately.
Authorities said the attacker’s apartment in California was also raided.
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