Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Leaders from across the world have been reacting to a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says he is "relieved" that President Trump and the first lady, along with those in attendance, are safe. He adds: "My thoughts are with all those who have been shaken by this disturbing event".

His Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, also says he is "pleased to hear" that those at the scene are safe. “We applaud the work of the Secret Service and law enforcement," he adds.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat, expresses her support for the US president, the first lady and all attendees, adding that "political violence has no place in democracy".

Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez "strongly condemn[s] the attempted attack" and extends "best wishes" to those in attendance.

Shehbaz Sharif, the Pakistani Prime Minister, says he is "deeply shocked" by the shooting and extends his "thoughts and prayers" to Trump.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he sends "best wishes for their continued safety and well-being" to the president, the first lady and the vice-president.

"We send our respect," says Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, adding that "violence should never be the way".

Image source, Reuters

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he's "shocked by the scenes at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington overnight".

"Any attack on democratic institutions or on the freedom of the press must be condemned in the strongest possible terms," he says.

Starmer says it is a "huge relief" that Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and the event's other attendees are unharmed.

• A reminder that police have so far said that the motive for the shooting is unclear, but sources have told the BBC's US partner, CBS News, that the suspect told police he wanted to target Trump administration officials.

Former FBI special agent Jeff Kroeger tells BBC Breakfast that staying at the Hilton suggests the suspect had planned the attack out "for a while".

• For context: Police earlier said the alleged shooter was a guest at the hotel where the White House Correspondents' Dinner was being held

"Was it a grievance, a political motive?" he questions, adding that this is what officials will be looking into at the moment. As a reminder, police said earlier that the motive remains unclear.

On the security response, Kroeger says: "This is exactly what the Secret Service is trained do to."

When the threat occurred, they "converged on the president", creating a "body barrier", he says. The president was then removed from the venue to a safe location, he adds.

We've just seen a statement from the US Secret Service, who brought down the suspect who opened fire at a dinner attended by President Donald Trump last night.

"Tonight, a coward attempted to create a national tragedy. He underestimated the protective capabilities of the US Secret Service, and was stopped at first contact," a statement from Deputy Director Matthew Quinn reads.

The "strength of our layered security posture was evident," says Quinn, who notes there was "a myriad of countermeasures still ahead".

He adds: "Grateful for the brave men and women of the Secret Service and our valued Law Enforcement partners."

Image source, Donald Trump

The alleged gunman who fired shots at the White House Correspondents' Dinner a few hours ago has been named as Cole Tomas Allen, according to US media.

The 31-year-old is reportedly from Torrance, California - in the south-western suburbs of Los Angeles.

CBS News, the BBC's US partner, says Allen worked as a tutor in Torrance after graduating from the highly regarded California Institute of Technology.

Police say he was a guest at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the dinner was taking place, and was carrying multiple weapons - including guns and knives.

Allen is receiving hospital treatment following the incident. He is expected to be formally charged on Monday.

At about 20:35 ET (00:35 GMT, 01:35 BST): Shots are heard at the Washington Hilton and guests take cover. Shortly after, Secret Service agents rush to Donald Trump and escort him and his cabinet out of the room.

21:17: Donald Trump makes his first comments, writing on Truth Social that the alleged gunman "has been apprehended".

21:36: Trump says he is leaving the Washington Hilton at the request of law enforcement.

22:29: The US president shares footage that appears to show the start of the shooting, and follows it up shortly after with a photograph of the suspect.

22:30: Trump holds a news conference from the White House, alongside FBI chief Kash Patel and Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche. Trump says the "impression" is that the suspect was a "lone wolf".

About 22:50: US media, including the BBC's US partner CBS, name the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, citing multiple sources.

About 23:10: Live pictures start coming in, showing a police search of a property in Torrance, California.

About 23:15: US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, says authorities plan to formally charge the suspect in federal court on Monday.

The BBC's US partner, CBS News, reports that the alleged gunman has told authorities he was targeting officials linked to US President Donald Trump.

Citing two unnamed sources, CBS also says that at least five to eight gunshots were fired during the incident.

Image source, Reuters

We're now seeing live pictures of FBI agents and police officers searching an address believed to be linked to the alleged gunman.

The footage - filmed from a helicopter - shows a heavy police presence in the neighbourhood of Torrance, California.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

The White House Correspondents' Dinner has become a "be and be seen" event over the years, attracting top government officials and celebrities.

Beyond the dinner itself, the whole week sees Washington buzzing with parties hosted by embassies, organisations and media outlets.

But at its heart, the dinner is about raising money for promising young journalism students from across the country, who receive financial assistance from the White House Correspondents' Association.

Each student is paired with a mentor who is an association member and an active reporter at the White House. They all receive invitations to the dinner.

This year, for the second time, I was a mentor to one of the students, a bright and cheerful young woman.

She told me that she and the other students were frazzled, but safe.

They never expected the dinner would end so abruptly in a shooting incident.

Gunshots were fired at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington DC on Saturday night. The suspect was arrested. An officer was shot at close range, but his bullet-proof vest saved him.

Here’s a recap of what happened:

• The annual event was held at the Washington Hilton hotel, with Trump attending for the first time as president
• First Lady Melania Trump, Vice-President JD Vance and hundreds journalists, media personalities and government officials were also there
• A suspected gunman ran into the hotel foyer, trying to get past security officers and metal detectors, at about 00:35 GMT
• Loud bangs were heard, prompting security service personnel to immediately escort the president and other officials from the venue
• Hundreds of guests stayed behind for about an hour before the ballroom was cleared
• Trump shared images and a video of the suspect on social media
• Cole Tomas Allen, 31, is reportedly the suspect
• Allen is expected to be charged on Monday with several offences, including using a firearm during a crime of violence
• Trump told reporters afterwards, "I can't imagine any professions that are more dangerous" when reflecting on several shooting attempts over the past three years

Gary O’Donoghue
Chief North America Correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

I had just put my knife and fork down, and almost didn't notice the booming sounds coming from somewhere in front of me in the direction of the main entrance to the ballroom at the Washington Hilton.

I did a kind of audio double take.

Within moments, I thought – that is the low thudding sound that semi-automatic weapons make.

As someone who is blind I focus on the sounds, and I heard the shattering of glass.

Then I felt the head of my colleague, Daniel, who I had just been speaking to, brush past and I realised he was diving for the floor.

So I followed him.

I was on my knees, under the table cloth, almost certain that here I was, another Saturday night, another presidential event, and in the midst of yet another shooting.

I was there in Butler, Pennsylvania in July 2024 when the president came within inches of losing his life.

The moments after that were filled with screaming and running people.

This time was different as within seconds, we were under the table.

Another colleague told me how, as the shots rang out, he saw dozens of people running into the ballroom from the corridor outside.

Read more of Gary O'Donoughe's piece here.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Christian Turner, the British ambassador to the United States, has just posted a "thank you" message for the US Secret Service.

Turner was at the event, as were other British embassy staffers.

"The @UKinUSA team attending tonight's White House Correspondents Dinner are grateful for the swift and professional response of the Secret Service," Turner wrote.

"We are thankful that the President and those in attendance were unharmed & our best wishes are with the injured officer," he added.

As we've reported, the guest list included numerous politicians, diplomats, celebrities and other prominent figures.

In social media posts, dozens of Congress members from both sides of the aisle are sharing their gratitude that the president and First Lady are safe, thanking Secret Service members for their quick action, and condemning the violence.

"Thankful for the swift law enforcement action to protect everyone from gunfire at the White House Correspondents Dinner," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries writes, adding, "The violence and chaos in America must end".

House Speaker Mike Johnson says he and his wife were present at the dinner, and they're thankful no innocent people were harmed.

"We're grateful as always for the law enforcement and first responders who acted so quickly to bring the situation under control," Johnson says. "Praying for our country tonight."

Indrani Basu
BBC News, Washington

I was inside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton hotel a few hours ago.

Here's what the event looked like before we were evacuated after gunshots were heard.

Image source, Indrani Basu / BBC News

Image source, Indrani Basu / BBC News

Image source, Indrani Basu / BBC News

Morgan Gisholt Minard
BBC News, reporting from the White House

While he was speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room a bit ago, President Trump directed a personal thank you to Weijia Jiang - who was sitting in the front row asking questions and is president of the White House Correspondents Association, which puts on this event every year.

The hundred or so press in the room gave a quick round of applause. Mr Trump then joked she was going to give a "killer question".

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Today's shooting incident took place at the Washington Hilton on Connecticut Avenue - the same hotel in which Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in 1981.

That shooting took place on 30 March 1981, when the culprit, John Hinckley Jr, shot at Reagan as he was returning to his limousine after a speaking engagement inside the hotel.

Reagan survived, but was seriously wounded by a bullet that ricocheted off the side of a presidential limousine and hit him in the torso, breaking a rib and puncturing one of his lungs. He was rushed to the nearby George Washington University Hospital, and was eventually released on 11 April.

The then-White House Press Secretary, James Brady, was wounded in the same incident, as was a Secret Service agent and a local Metropolitan Police Department officer.

Brady suffered brain damage during he incident and was left disabled for the rest of his life. His injuries plagued him for the rest of his life and contributed to his death in 2014.

The following year, Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity, but was confined to a high-security portion of Washington's St Elizabeth's Hospital until being discharged in 2016.

A plaque still marks the scene of the shooting on the side of the hotel.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Image source, Getty Images

This is the third shooting or attempted shooting that has taken place around Donald Trump in just the last few years. It's become something of a pattern.

I was also in Butler, Pennsylvania on 13 July 2024 when 20-year-old Thomas Crooks shot at Trump, and the feeling in Washington is very similar to what I experienced that day.

Despite having just experienced another shooting, Trump seems in a buoyant mood.

But the prospect of being in a position in which he could be in danger appears to be something that Donald Trump has thought about, repeatedly.

"I can't imagine there's any profession that's more dangerous," Trump said in the briefing room.

Trump, and many close to him, have previously said that the shooting in Butler, perhaps more than anything else, marked a pivotal moment for the US president.

Even with a lack of clarity on what led to the shooting, tonight's events will almost certainly mark another one.

President Trump's comments that the job is inherently dangerous are apt. Tonight's incident took place inside the same hotel in which President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.

The local law enforcement briefing has now wrapped up.

We will bring you a few more details from President Trump's conference with reporters at the White House this evening.

Trump was asked what his message to the world was following the suspected shooting.

"You can have the greatest security in the world but if you've got a whack job whose brain is distorted, they can make trouble," he replied.

When asked "if it's possible to turn the temperature down" following this evening's incident.

"Probably, if I decided to just not do much and if I let everybody rip us off," he said.

The president says it is the cost of doing business to participate in politics in America.

He adds that there is political violence all over the world.

"I can't imagine that there's any profession that's more dangerous," he says, adding "no country is immune".

Image source, Getty Images

President Trump has insisted the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) event will go ahead within 30 days and that the alleged shooting would not disrupt regular planned events.

Guests had finished their first course when the gunshots could be heard outside the Washington Hilton ball room.

When asked how the event could return after the disruption, the US security service director Sean Curran told reporters "we do this every day" when assessing security threats at events attended by the president and cabinet members.