When gunshots were heard from inside the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night, guests weren’t sure what was happening or if they were in danger.

It soon emerged that suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allen had been arrested by security officials. Allen was allegedly armed with knives, a shotgun and a handgun at the time of arrest.

Sitting at his table in the lavish ballroom as the events unfolded was the Guardian’s Washington DC bureau chief David Smith. He speaks to Nour Haydar about what is known about the alleged gunman’s motivations, the panic when the shots were fired and the questions being asked about the event’s security protocols

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