Swiss ambassador kept calm as White House press gala shooting unfolded

"I had the feeling that the situation was brought under control very quickly," Heckner said. Keystone-SDA

The Swiss ambassador to the United States, Ralf Heckner, witnessed first-hand the attack at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington on Saturday night. "I remained calm", he said in an interview with CH Media published on Monday.

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Heckner was in the room, about ten metres from US President Donald Trump, when a thud was heard and security forces reacted immediately.

They quickly removed the American head of state and other members of the government from the room. Those present hid under the tables, while the presumed perpetrator of the attack was brought under control on the upper floor.

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Thanks to his strategic position near a main door, Heckner knew where to escape. “I had the feeling that the situation was brought under control very quickly,” he said. “But a lot of people were very worried.”

Motive and precise objective under investigation

The events planned for the evening went ahead despite the incident, but with reinforced security measures. “It was not, however, a party with an exuberant atmosphere,” said Heckner.

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Investigators are now looking into the motive and precise aim of the 31-year-old suspect, who tried to storm the event at the Hilton hotel on Saturday evening. The man was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives. According to Trump, a secret service agent was hit by at least one bullet and saved by his bullet-proof vest.

Translated from French with AI/gw

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