Donald Trump was a "likely" target of last night's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, according to the acting US attorney general
Todd Blanche says "preliminary" findings suggest the suspected gunman was targeting members of the Trump administration
US media identify the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California - Blanche says the suspect is not cooperating with the authorities
Police earlier said the suspect's motive remains unknown, and law enforcement has been searching an address in Torrance believed to be linked to the suspected gunman
At about 20:35 ET (01:35 BST) shots were heard at the event, which a number of senior politicians and journalists were attending - here's a timeline of how the incident unfolded
Image source, EPAFBI Director Kash Patel says "the best of American leadership" was on show last night.
"I am proud to work for President Trump who so strongly backs law enforcement across this country - and proud to lead this agency that works 24/7 to keep Americans safe," he writes on X.
He notes that the investigation is ongoing and asks people to get in touch with any information.
A computer science professor who taught suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allen at California State University-Dominguez Hills says he was good and polite.
“[Allen] was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions," Bin Tang tells the Associated Press news agency.
"Soft spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news."
The university has confirmed that a student named Cole Allen graduated in 2025 - but said it could not confirm if this was the same man suspected in the shooting.
The suspect's writings are being examined as part of the investigation into the attack, according to the BBC's US partner, CBS News.
CBS is citing three unnamed federal law enforcement officials.
The materials were found written on paper in the suspect's hotel room, CBS says.
Image source, ReutersThe Washington Hilton hotel, where the shooting incident happened at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner
Daniela Relph
Senior royal correspondent, reporting from Washington DC
We should have a final decision on whether the state visit of the King and Queen goes ahead in the next few hours.
The UK government will decide if it is safe for the King and Queen to continue with the programme in liaison with Buckingham Palace, the White House and the UK embassy in Washington DC.
The mood music is that this visit will happen - but royal sources say "light adjustments" may be made to certain engagements.
Image source, PA MediaChristian Turner has been UK ambassador to the US since February 2026
Our royal correspondent reported earlier that King Charles will probably still travel to the US for his state visit tomorrow, despite last night's attack in Washington.
Now, the UK ambassador to the US has told CBS News that King Charles is still expected to travel to the US.
Christian Turner says the King is still due to arrive at the White House on Monday, and his presence will be honoured at a dinner the following night.
By Emma Pengelly and Thomas Copeland
BBC Verify has been looking into the online presence of the suspected Washington gunman.
Los Angeles County’s voter registration records appear to show he had registered no party preference. According to a Federal Election Commission record, seen by BBC Verify, in October 2024 Allen donated $25 (£18.5) to the fundraising platform ActBlue with the money earmarked for Kamala Harris' presidential campaign.
Allen describes himself as a mechanical engineer, game developer and teacher on LinkedIn. According to his profile, he studied mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) - a highly competitive university - where he took part in its Christian fellowship.
He graduated with a master's in computer science in 2025 from California State University, Dominguez Hills, marking the milestone by sharing a photo of himself in graduation robes to LinkedIn.
He also developed and released a game called "Bohrdom" to the gaming platform Steam.
On Facebook, photos of Allen, which we've matched to those of his arrest at the hotel, show him smiling in family photographs at Christmas and graduation events.
In December 2024 he was named teacher of the month by C2 Education, which offers tutoring and college test preparation to students, according to the organisation’s Facebook post. He has been a part-time teacher there since 2020, his LinkedIn profile says.
BBC Verify is continuing to look into Allen's social media and online presence.
Image source, Cole Allen/LinkedInA picture Allen posted on his LinkedIn profile shows him wearing graduation robes
Image source, ReutersContinuing his round of US media outlets, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche has given CNN more details about the shooting.
Suspect appears unknown to police: Blanche says it appears the suspect bought the two firearms he had "in the last couple of years", and reiterated that there is "not any indication yet" he was on the radar of the authorities.
Electronic devices seized: Authorities "executed a number of search warrants" last night and are investigating electronic devices they've seized, believed to belong to the suspect.
Not ruling out further charges: It "remains to be seen" whether more charges than the two already announced will be raised against the suspect on Monday - Blanche says "absolutely" he could be charged with attempted assassination depending on the evidence.
Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent
Image source, ReutersEven before last night's shooting incident in Washington DC, security for the King and Queen's state visit was going to be very tight.
Now it will be going up another level.
It sounds as though the royal visit to the US is still going ahead, but with the potential for some adaptations in the light of any security concerns.
That presumably would mean thinking about times when the visitors would be in sight of the public - and King Charles usually likes to meet the crowds. It's often a highlight of such trips, as he's good with people.
When President Trump visited the UK last autumn, almost all the events happened inside Windsor Castle. He was helicoptered in and out of that secure bubble and behind those walls and so was kept away from any contact with the public.
For those planning the King and Queen's trip, which starts on Monday, it was already diplomatically complicated, and now there are last-minute decisions of another kind to consider.
Image source, ReutersPrime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken to US President Donald Trump on the phone this afternoon.
He extended his best wishes to the president and first lady following the "shocking scenes at last night’s White House Correspondents' Dinner", according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
The PM expressed his relief that they were safe, and wished a speedy recovery to the officer injured in the incident, the spokesperson adds.
The two leaders also discussed the situation in the Middle East and the "urgent need to get shipping moving again in the Strait of Hormuz, given the severe consequences for the global economy".
Image source, Getty ImagesDressed in a black tuxedo just hours after he was at the centre of yet another major security incident, US President Donald Trump told reporters: "I can't imagine that there's any profession that is more dangerous."
While a small army of Secret Service agents make the president arguably the world's most protected person, keeping him safe is proving to be no easy task.
First there was the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 2024 in which a bullet grazed his ear. Just 64 days later, Trump was again the target of a would-be assassin as he played a round on his Florida golf course.
And now, hours after gunshots shattered the revelry of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at Hilton hotel in the nation's capital, Trump's security is once again under scrutiny.
Image source, ReutersPresident Trump says what happened at the White House Correspondents' Dinner would never have happened "with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House".
In a post on Truth Social, Trump says: "What happened last night is exactly the reason" that the military and every president for the last 150 years have been "DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE".
He adds that the ballroom has "every highest level security feature there is plus, there are no rooms sitting on top for unsecured people to pour in, and is inside the gates of the most secure building in the World, The White House".
Trump says nothing should be allowed to interfere with its construction "which is on budget and substantially ahead of schedule!!!"
A bit more now from Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche, who has been speaking to multiple US media outlets on Sunday.
In an interview with CBS News's Face the Nation, he reiterates previous comments that investigators believe the suspect was targeting members of the Trump administration.
He adds that the suspect is not actively cooperating with authorities.
Blanche tells CBS that investigators believe the suspect was staying at the Washington Hilton, where the event was being held, and travelled to Washington by train - initially travelling from Los Angeles to Chicago, before heading on to the capital.
Image source, ReutersActing US Attorney General Todd Blanche says the motive of the suspected gunman is still under investigation, but that "preliminary" findings suggest he was targeting administration officials, "likely" including the president.
He tells NBC's Meet the Press that investigators are looking at reports the alleged gunman assembled the weapon in the hotel, adding that the suspect "didn't get very far".
"He barely broke the perimeter," Blanche says. He adds that the suspect likely travelled by train from LA to Chicago, and then to Washington DC.
He also confirms that the suspect will be formally charged on Monday.
The sun is yet to rise in Torrance, California, where US law enforcement are continuing searching an address believed to be linked to the suspect behind yesterday's shooting.
Reuters news agency are providing a live feed at the location of the search. In the footage, you can see various parked cars outside the home, where the lights are on.
Through the blurred window panes on the front door, there also appears to be people inside.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Image source, ReutersThe agent who was injured was sent to a local hospital and he is in "good spirits," officials said yesterday
The US Secret Service has confirmed to the BBC that the agent who sustained injuries in last night's shooting has been released from hospital.
"I can confirm the officer has been discharged, and the ballistic vest helped us avoid a potential tragedy last night," the Secret Service's chief of communications, Anthony Guglielmi, tells the BBC.
"The defendant is now before a federal court, and comments at this stage will come from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia."
He says the Secret Service is now conducting a "comprehensive review of the defendant’s background and networks to better understand his motivations, leaving no detail unexamined".
Image source, EPA/ShutterstockJiang and Trump had been sat next to each other before Secret Service agents rushed him out the room
Weijia Jiang is president of the White House Correspondents' Association - which puts on the annual gala - and was sat next to President Trump at the time of the shooting.
"What was going through my mind is my seven-year-old daughter was there. My husband was there. My parents were there," she tells CBS News, for whom she is senior White House correspondent.
"On a night where we all came together to celebrate the freedoms and the First Amendment, we also have to think about how fragile they are in this country because … shootings and would-be shootings happen every day."
"And it doesn't matter if it's the White House Correspondents' Dinner or anywhere else in this country. Nobody should have to feel that way. Nobody should have to feel scared to be anywhere in a public place," she adds.
Image source, ReutersIt has been over 10 hours since shots were fired at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington DC. Here's a recap of how the evening unfolded:
Image source, Getty ImagesThe King previously hosted Trump in the UK in 2025
Let's bring you some more context following the statement from Buckingham Palace.
The King and Queen are due to travel to the US for a four-day state visit beginning on Monday, and are set to meet with Trump at the White House. It will be the first UK state visit to the US since the late Elizabeth II's in 2007.
Questions have been raised over whether the shooting in Washington will impact security planning. A few minutes ago, Buckingham Palace said it was assessing any possible impact on "operational planning".
The King is expected to address both houses of Congress, visit the 9/11 memorial in New York, and attend a wreath laying to honour fallen US and UK soldiers in Virginia.
Earlier, the PM's Chief Secretary Darren Jones said there would be "appropriate security in place in relation to the risk". Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the trip should "absolutely" still go ahead, adding that violence should not be allowed to prevent diplomatic relations.
Buckingham Palace says "a number of discussions will be taking place" with US colleagues today to determine whether the Washington shooting will impact planning for the King's upcoming state visit.
The King is "being kept fully informed of developments and is greatly relieved to hear that the President, First Lady and all guests have been unharmed," it adds.
The man alleged to have opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last night was a California-based tutor who went to a top-ranking university, reports the BBC's US partner CBS News.
The suspect - who has been identified in US media as Cole Tomas Allen - had been a teacher for a tutoring service in Torrance, two law enforcement officials tell CBS. It is unclear if he was still employed by the company.
The California Institute of Technology confirmed to CBS in an email that Allen graduated from Caltech in 2017, but provided no further details.
