Former US President Barack Obama has spoken out against the recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, stating that acts of violence have no place in a democratic society. He also commended the swift response and bravery of the security personnel present at the event.
The incident took place during the high-profile annual gathering, which was attended by US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, along with several senior officials. Authorities confirmed that all prominent attendees were safe. However, a Secret Service officer was injured while responding to the situation.
โAlthough we donโt yet have the details about the motives behind last night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner, itโs incumbent upon all us to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy. Itโs also a sobering reminder of the courage and sacrifice that US Secret Service Agents show every day. Iโm grateful to them โ and thankful that the agent who was shot is going to be okay,โ Obama posted on X.ย
Unlike several global leaders who publicly expressed relief over Donald Trumpโs safety, Obama notably did not mention the US President in his post.
Suspect nabbed
The man arrested in connection with the shooting has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from California. Investigators say he sent troubling messages to his family shortly before the incident, raising concerns about his intentions.
According to a law enforcement official, cited by AP, Allen described himself in the writings as a โfriendly federal assassinโ. The messages were sent just minutes before gunfire broke out, and are now being closely examined as part of the investigation.ย
Officials believe the content of these writings points towards a political motive. The suspect reportedly expressed anger over several policies linked to former US President Donald Trump, although he did not mention him by name. The messages included references to recent government actions and broader grievances tied to the administration.
The writings also mentioned issues such as US operations against drug smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific.ย
Wasnโt worried during incident, says Trumpย
Meanwhile, Trump said he was not worried during the attack and waited to understand what was really happening.ย
“I wasn’t worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world,” he said in an interview with CBS ’60 Minutes’.ย
“I wanted to see what was happening. I wasn’t making it that easy for them.I wanted to see what was going on. And by that time we started to realise maybe it was a bad problem, different kind of problem, a bad one โ and different than what would be normal noise from a ballroom,” he added.