The federal agent injured in the attack at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner was not hit by friendly fire, U.S. President Donald Trump and the Secret Service Director said on Thursday (30 April).
U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a Thursday Fox News interview that one agent was shot at "point blank range" by the suspect as he ran through the security checkpoint near the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday.
"Our officer heroically returned fire," Curran said on The Will Cain Show, adding the agent fired five times.
The suspect was not hit by the agent's return fire, Curran explained, but fell to the ground after hitting his knee.
He was then subdued by other federal agents near the top of the stairs, Curran added, which led to the ballroom where Trump, the first lady, top administration officials and hundreds of others dined.
The armed assailant, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, sprinted through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel attempting, prosecutors allege, to assassinate Trump, according to officials.
Curran's comments differ from court papers filed on Wednesday by prosecutors about the sequence of events.
In the filings, prosecutors referred to an officer firing five times, but the document does not mention that officer or any other being shot.
The Wednesday document also did not accuse Allen of aiming at or striking the Secret Service officer.
There has also been media reporting suggesting the agent may have been shot by friendly fire.
"They said it wasn't friendly fire. It wasn't us," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.
Curran defended the security protocols at the Saturday dinner location. "The site was set up perfectly, I will tell you I would not change the site again," Curran added.
When asked if there was consideration for the President to wear a bulletproof vest, Donald Trump did not appear to be keen. "I don't know if I can handle looking 20 pounds heavier," he said.
The incident, the latest in a pattern of political violence in the United States, has revived concerns about the safety of the U.S. president and other top officials.
The United States has launched strikes on Iran late Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz with Iranian state media reporting explosions in several...
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have gathered in Bishkek for a summit focused on trade, investment and transport as the...
Russia has rejected German allegations that Moscow was behind an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, calling the claims “baseles...
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as leaders gather for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have gathered in Bishkek for a summit focused on trade, investment and transport as the group marks 25 years since its creation.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
Kyrgyzstan is hosting the sixth World Nomad Games, bringing together thousands of athletes from around the world for a celebration of traditional sports, cultural heritage and nomadic traditions.
Russia views NATO’s growing military activity in the Arctic as a direct threat to its national security, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
The United States has launched strikes on Iran late Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz with Iranian state media reporting explosions in several areas including Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island.
Russia has rejected German allegations that Moscow was behind an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, calling the claims “baseless”, as Russian air attacks killed at least 12 people in Kyiv and the surrounding region earlier on Tuesday.
China used this week's Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit to deepen ties across Central Asia, turning a largely symbolic multilateral gathering into a series of bilateral agreements and modest progress toward a long-discussed SCO Development Bank.
Türkiye has drawn up a plan to restore safe grain shipments through the Black Sea and is discussing the proposal with both Moscow and Kyiv, its foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday.
Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, with China, Russia, Pakistan, the United States and the United Nations among the key partners on Uzbekistan’s agenda.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment