The suspected perpetrator of the shooting at the correspondents' dinner in Washington D.C. was probably going after President Donald Trump and officials in his administration.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told NBC News on Sunday, Reuters reports.
- It appears that he had actually set out to attack people who work in the administration, probably including the president, Blanche said.
He adds that the suspect probably traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington D.C.
The shooting incident took place on Saturday evening local time - the night before Sunday Danish time - at the Washington Hilton Hotel, the same place where the annual dinner was held.
Specifically, the incident took place in what is described as the security checkpoint outside the dinner room at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
The American media outlet CBS News wrote earlier on Sunday that he intended to shoot officials in Donald Trump's administration.
He is said to have told police this after his arrest, the media outlet wrote, citing two unnamed sources.
The police have not yet officially announced the perpetrator's motive.
It was the first time Trump attended the press dinner as a sitting president.
Loud bangs were heard, after which the president, first lady, vice president and a number of members of the Trump administration were evacuated.
Several of the 2,600 guests at the event sought refuge on the floor and under tables in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton Hotel, where they had gathered.
The president later said that a person from the Secret Service was shot, but was saved by a bulletproof vest. No one else was injured.
The suspect will be arraigned in federal court on Monday on charges of assault on a federal officer, discharging a firearm and attempting to kill a federal officer, said Todd Blanche.
The annual press dinner is organized by the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA), the association of journalists who cover the White House.
The purpose of the correspondents' dinner, according to organizers, is to provide a casual forum for social interaction between the press and the White House.
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