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

By Thomson Reuters Apr 27, 2026 | 10:16 AM

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 ⁠law enforcement 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)