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

Hilton Worldwide Holdings

27/04/2026 16:49

Updates with details throughout

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)

 ((doyinsola.oladipo@thomsonreuters.com; +1 8623846440))