New Delhi [India], April 26 (ANI): US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Saturday (local time) said that charges against the shooter involved in the White House Correspondents' Dinner incident in Washington DC will be filed shortly, while confirming that the investigation is currently underway.
Blanche, while speaking at the briefing room, said that the man will face multiple charges, including those related to shooting and illegal possession of firearms, and added that federal law enforcement agencies are actively working on the case.
"This investigation is ongoing. I expect you will see charges filed shortly. The charges should be self-evident given the conduct, but as you'll hear, there will be multiple charges surrounding the shooting, around the possession of firearms and anything else that we can get on this guy. The investigation is obviously ongoing and just started. There is federal law enforcement already working on search warrants and doing their job and I don't want to get ahead of them and don't want to get ahead of the work that they are doing even as we speak," he said.
Blanche further said that the incident reflected both the "worst and the best" of the country, referring to the attack as well as the swift response by law enforcement agencies.
"Tonight you saw the very worst and the very best of this country. You saw the very worst by the actions of that coward that the president just talked about. But you also saw the very best because you saw law enforcement do exactly what they're supposed to do and you'll see the videos come out I expect very shortly and you'll see law enforcement do exactly what we want them to do," he said.
He also expressed gratitude to law enforcement personnel, including an officer who was injured during the incident. "And so I echo what Mr. President what President Trump just said that we are extraordinarily grateful and appreciative of the men and women of law enforcement that did their jobs tonight, including one who was who was injured," Blanche added.
Blanche said that senior officials, including the FBI and police leadership, had visited the crime scene and confirmed that multiple agencies are working in coordination.
"Director Patel and I were just on the crime scene a short while ago and everybody in this room should rest assured that the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI, Secret Service, everybody's on the scene doing their job. I know that the police chief is going to give an update from the scene as soon as we're finished here and I obviously will lead the details of what of what they have learned to him," he said.
He further assured that justice will be served in the case. "But in the meantime, I just want to thank everybody in this room for the courage and I want to thank President Trump for his for his words and I promise you justice will be served," he said.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel, also present at the briefing, praised law enforcement agencies and said the response reflected strong inter-agency coordination.
"The President's absolutely right. You saw the best resolve of American law enforcement because you, Mr. President, inspire them 24/7, 365. You give them the resources that they need and you know, they know that you have their back. And that is a changing dynamic in this country and that's why you saw brave Secret Service agents respond immediately, swiftly, subdue and take down the suspect and safeguard the lives of thousands of individuals at that hotel," he said.
Patel further lauded the inter-agency partnership with the Department of Homeland Security and the Metropolitan Police Department, due to which the FBI could be swiftly integrated into the scene.
"Thanks to our interagency partnership with the Department of Homeland Security and the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI was rapidly deployed onto the scene, took over the evidence response unit, is examining all the ballistics that were found on scene to include the long gun and the shell casings. We are conducting witness interviews as we speak. You will hear from our team on the scene there with the mayor and the head of the FBI field division there," he said.
"But please know what the attorney general has just said rings no truer. You saw the very best of America tonight, the very best unite us at a time of uncertainty because we have leadership here with the President, the Vice President that backs law enforcement. And the men and women that I shook their hands on the scene today could not have been prouder to show up on scene. And as the attorney general said, make no mistake, we are conducting witness interviews," Patel added.
Patel also urged the public to share any information related to the incident with the FBI, adding that investigators will thoroughly examine the suspect's background to determine if there were additional individuals involved.
"If you have any information, any information whatsoever related to this event, 1-800-CALL-FBI, 1-800-CALL-FBI. No piece of information is too small, no piece of information is inadequate. We will evaluate it all. We will also be conducting interviews of those who were there and if any of those individuals have information, please come forward to law enforcement or the FBI or the Metropolitan Police Department," he said.
"We will be examining this individual's background thoroughly. That process has already started. And we are going to ensure that he was either a lone wolf actor or anyone else that was responsible, we will analyse all evidence immediately to make sure that we safeguard this country," he added.
Patel also thanked the leaders present there for their cooperation.
"Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, thank you for your leadership. Attorney General and Homeland Secretary Blanche, thank you for your partnership in law enforcement," he said.
Chaos broke out on Saturday evening after suspected gunshots were reportedly fired in the lobby of the Washington Hilton, leading to the evacuation of US President Donald Trump and other senior officials from the White House Correspondents' Dinner. (ANI)