Washington Hilton says it was using Secret Service protocols on night of attack


Media broadcasting equipment is placed on a sidewalk near the Washington Hilton hotel, where a shooting incident occurred yesterday night at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 26, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

NEW YORK, April ⁠27 (Reuters) - The Washington Hilton hotel said ⁠on Monday it had been operating ‌under "stringent" Secret Service protocols when a man breached security and fired rounds from a shotgun in the ​hotel where President Donald Trump ⁠was attending a ⁠dinner on Saturday.

The suspect, identified by lawenforcement as ⁠Cole ‌Allen, had charged through a checkpoint with weapons on the floor ⁠above the ballroom where the 2026 ​White House ‌Correspondents' Association dinner was under way.

“The hotel ⁠was operating ​under stringent security protocols for the property as directed by the U.S. Secret Service, ⁠which led security," a hotel ​spokesperson said in a statement.

The Secret Service, which is responsible for the president's safety, worked ⁠in coordination with a range of security teams, including local Washington, D.C., police and hotel security, the spokesperson added.

Allen, who is ​accused of shooting and ⁠wounding a Secret Service agent, is expected ​in court on Monday ‌to face criminal charges.

(Reporting by ​Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Kevin Liffey)

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