Brussels was jolted into action this weekend after a gunman opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, where US President Donald Trump was attending. As details emerged, EU leaders swiftly condemned the attempted attack and expressed solidarity, cutting short what had begun as a calm spring weekend for officials in the Belgian capital.
A 31-year-old man named as Cole Tomas Allen has been arrested after opening fire Saturday evening outside the reception hall of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA gala), which Donald Trump was attending for the first time. The White House says it was a targeted attempt at the life of Trump and his officials.
Fortunately, no one was killed.
In Europe, EU leaders quickly voiced support for the US President, who had skipped the event for years before agreeing this time to attend, despite strained relations between the White House and the press corps under his second term.
“I just spoke to @POTUS Donald Trump to express my solidarity with him and @FLOTUS after the attempted attack,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X. She added that “political violence has no place in our democracies”.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the incident “unacceptable”, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: “We decide by majorities, not by the gun.”
Transatlantic tensions briefly faded, even as Reuters reported the US could seek to suspend Spain from NATO over its refusal to back the US and Israel’s war in Iran.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez played down the threat and joined EU leaders in condemning the attack. “Violence is never the answer,” Sánchez wrote on X. “Humanity will only move forward through democracy, coexistence and peace.”
On Sunday, Trump rejected any link between the armed intrusion at the WHCA dinner and the Middle East war. He said the incident would not “deter” him from “winning the war”.
Earlier in the weekend, Trump cancelled a trip to Pakistan planned for envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, writing on social media: “Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work!” He added, referring to Iran: “There is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership’.”
On his side, after going to Oman and Pakistan over the weekend, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtchi landed in Russia to meet Vladimir Putin.
According to the Iranian news agency Fars, Tehran has sent, via Pakistan, written messages to Washington regarding its “red lines” in the negotiations.
After talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Araghchi wrote on Telegram that he had briefed his French counterpart on ceasefire developments and ongoing diplomatic efforts “to end the imposed war”. He stressed “the importance of European countries playing a constructive role in this process”.
Here’s a recap of how the incident unfolded:
At 20.35 ET (01:35 BST), a suspected gunman ran into the foyer at the Washington Hilton hotel, trying to get past security officers and metal detectors.
Shots were heard, prompting Secret Service agents to escort Donald Trump and his cabinet out of the room, as guests ducked for cover.
Less than an hour later at 21.17 ET, Trump makes his first comments on Truth Social, saying that the alleged gunman “has been apprehended”.
What we know about the suspect
The suspect has been named by US media as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, from Torrance, California. He is expected to be formally charged on Monday.
Police said the motive of the suspect remains unknown.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche said “preliminary” findings suggest the suspected gunman was targeting members of the Trump administration – and that Trump himself was a “likely” target.
