The traces of the attack: “We hate him”

Emelie Svensson

Updated 22.13 | Published 21.40

WASHINGTON DC. Wine glasses and bottles remain after the party that ended in chaos.

A black curtain has been put up to hide a hole – which appears to have been made by a bullet.

Here are the traces of the attack on the gala dinner with Donald Trump.

Black cordon tape cuts off the corridor. A sign greets guests: Closed area.

At the Washington Hilton on Sunday morning, there is a strangely quiet atmosphere. Guests move slowly through the lobby. But the cordons – and a black curtain that hides a hole in the wall – are reminiscent of how the White House Correspondents’ Dinner the night before turned into chaos.

The red carpet is rolled out. Sound equipment is packed away. Downstairs, wine glasses and bottles remain, left in a hurry.

The doors to the place where the suspected perpetrator is said to have been wrestled down are closed.

Amina Mambambu, 25, was in her room on the fifth floor. Photo: Nora Savosnick

Suddenly bright lights

Amina Mambambu, 25, was in her room on the fifth floor when the drama unfolded. She had understood that the gala dinner was taking place downstairs and was following the news.

– Suddenly we saw bright lights. Helicopters were circling the hotel. Drones in the air. And a motorcade of big black SUVs driving around the building, she says.

– It seemed like they were securing the area, like they were looking for more threats. We saw the National Guard and the Secret Service.

“We saw the National Guard and the Secret Service,” says Amina Mambambu, 25. Photo: Nora Savosnick

”

“Very shocking”

She describes a feeling of unreality.

– It was very shocking.

The picture of the evening is falling apart.

Several guests say they heard shots – several in quick succession – and that they hid. One person, who does not want to be interviewed, is said to have seen the perpetrator enter a side room before the attack.

At the same time, there are those who did not notice anything at all.

– We were sitting at the bar. We missed everything, says one guest

         

         

“It was very shocking,” says Mambambu. Photo: Nora Savosnick

Closing down

Amina says that the hotel was quickly closed down, even before the gala evening.

– Security was very strict. They didn't even let us drive up by taxi beforehand.

– When we came back, we had to walk the last bit and show our hotel key to get in. They had set up barriers and checked everyone.

Other guests give a completely different picture.

– There was no security at all. Anyone could have gotten in, says an upset man in his 60s who wants to remain anonymous.

– When we checked in, we didn't even have to show ID for either of us. No one checked our luggage. That's not how it should be at such a big event.

 

“There was no security at all. Anyone could have gotten in,” says a hotel guest. Photo: Nora Savosnick

Forced to walk with their hands in the air

Several express concern that the attack could be part of a larger threat. Some say they were forced to walk with their hands in the air as they returned to the hotel, while security forces searched for more suspects.

But it is reported that it was a lone gunman.

In a manifesto that the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, allegedly sent to his family before the shooting, he mocks the security at the gala dinner, according to the Daily Beast. He describes how he expected metal detectors and armed guards – but instead was met with what he perceived as a lack of control.

He allegedly joked that he may have been the victim of a joke because there was “no fucking security” at the hotel. According to him, no one seemed to have expected the threat to come from a checked-in guest. 

The doors to the place where the suspected perpetrator is said to have wrestled down are closed. Photo: Nora Savosnick

Second time at the hotel

The motive is believed to be aimed at people in the Trump administration.

This is not the first time the Washington Hilton has been the site of an attack on a president. 45 years ago, Ronald Reagan was shot outside the hotel. He survived, but was seriously injured.

This time, President Donald Trump escaped unharmed.

It was at half past eight in the evening that witnesses heard about five shots. They were fired in an area one floor above the ballroom where Trump and other high-ranking government guests were attending the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner. The perpetrator is said to have carried a shotgun, knives and a pistol. He was tackled to the ground by Secret Service agents.

President Trump and other top government officials were taken to safety, while other guests hid under tables.

Conspiracy theories about the attack are spreading. Photo: Nora Savosnick

“We hate him”

Already, conspiracy theories are spreading about the attack.
A couple of guests express doubts about whether it is really true that Trump could once again have been the target of a potential attack.

– We hate him. He has lied a thousand times. Why should we trust him now? He immediately took the opportunity to tell us that this is why he needed to build a new ballroom in the White House, says one of the guests.

Amina dismisses such theories.

– Whoever is in power will always be a target, she says.

She looks out over the hotel where everyday life is slowly returning.

– Regardless of the president or party, there are always people who think they can take matters into their own hands. And then extreme things like this happen – which are not acceptable.

          

         Cole Tomas Allen, 31. Photo: Truth Social 

         

         The attack took place at the Hilton hotel in Washington, DC on Saturday evening. Photo: Nora                   Savosnick