Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the attempted armed attack against US President Donald Trump during a dinner hosted by the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) in Washington D.C., after a man armed with guns and knives burst into the lobby of the building where the event was taking place and opened fire on security staff.
In a message posted on social media, Erdoğan said he was relieved that no one had been injured, particularly “Mr Trump and First Lady Melania Trump”. “It is reassuring for us that no one was injured, especially US President Donald Trump and his dear wife Melania Trump,” the Turkish leader stated via his official profile on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, according to reports by several Turkish media outlets.
Erdoğan emphasised in his message that, in democracies, the struggle must be waged through ideas: “In democracies, struggles are fought through ideas; there is no place for any kind of violence in democracy,” said the Turkish president. “I extend my wishes for a speedy recovery to President Trump, his wife, the US administration and the American people,” he added.
Other European and world leaders also reacted with surprise and relief following the arrest of the suspect in the shooting during the gala held in the US capital, including Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez – one of Europe’s most critical politicians of Trump’s policies and of the US and Israeli war against Iran – who, in a social media post, argued that “violence is never the answer”. “Humanity will only progress through democracy, coexistence and peace,” Sánchez emphasised.
The incident reignites doubts about Trump’s public safety
The shooting took place outside the large underground hall where thousands of guests were attending the gala dinner, interrupting the event just minutes after it began. Footage showed security personnel rushing into the hall and surrounding Trump before hurriedly escorting him from the venue, whilst attendees tried to take cover under the tables amid the sound of gunfire.
The attacker, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, aged 31, a resident of Torrance (California) who was attending the dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel as a guest, was eventually subdued by security staff and arrested; he is due to appear in court tomorrow, Monday. One officer was shot, but the bullet was stopped by his bulletproof vest and he is recovering well, according to local authorities.
The US president was unharmed and was safely evacuated from the scene of the shooting, although it is still unclear whether he was the attacker’s target. Following the incident, Donald Trump told reporters that he hoped the event in Washington D.C. could be rescheduled within 30 days; however, the fact that an armed man managed to get close to the venue has once again raised serious concerns about security protocols in the United States, particularly at an event such as this which brings together senior government officials every year.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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