Trump unharmed after man opens fire outside Washington event; suspect apprehended |
The Times of Israel is liveblogging Sunday’s events as they unfold.
Alleged shooter in custody after firing weapon at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
An alleged shooter is in custody after shots were fired as US President Donald Trump attended a press dinner in Washington, witnesses and reporters confirm after the president was evacuated.
Loud bangs were heard and guests at the black-tie White House Correspondents’ Dinner scrambled to hide under tables.
Tactical teams with guns drawn took position on the stage where Trump had been sitting before he was evacuated.
Police are swarming the Washington Hilton Hotel where the event was taking place, and helicopters hover overhead.
The pool report says the alleged shooter is in custody, citing the Secret Service.
Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance are unharmed, reports say.
Trump evacuated from White House Correspondents’ Dinner amid security threat
US President Donald Trump and other top leaders of the United States have been evacuated from an annual dinner of White House correspondents on Saturday night after an unspecified threat. There do not immediately appear to be any injuries.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the banquet hall as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. “Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck.
Reports say shots were fired in the vicinity of the dinner.
WHITE HOUSE POOL REPORT via @JeffMordock: There’ was several loud bangs and the Secret Service with guns drawn rushed the pool out of the room. They Secret Service pushed us back screaming “Shots fired.” — Nathaniel Reed (@ReedReports) April 26, 2026
WHITE HOUSE POOL REPORT via @JeffMordock:
There’ was several loud bangs and the Secret Service with guns drawn rushed the pool out of the room.
They Secret Service pushed us back screaming “Shots fired.”
— Nathaniel Reed (@ReedReports) April 26, 2026
Pezeshkian says Iran won’t negotiate with US under threats or blockade
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian tells Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone that Tehran will not enter “imposed negotiations” under threats or blockade, according to a statement from the Iranian government.
Pezeshkian says the United States should first remove “operational obstacles,” including its blockade of Iranian ports, before negotiators can lay any groundwork to resolve the conflict.
Sharif said earlier that he had spoken to Pezeshkian about the evolving regional situation.
“Pakistan remains committed to serve as an honest and sincere facilitator – working tirelessly to advance durable peace and lasting stability in the region,” Sharif said in a post on social media platform X.
As Netanyahu declines to give clear timeline, report says his prostate cancer diagnosis was six months ago
The Kan public broadcaster reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was diagnosed with prostate cancer around six months ago, after the premier revealed on Friday that he had successfully been treated for a malignant tumor, but did not say when.
The Kan report comes after the director of the Sharett Oncology Institute at Hadassah Medical Center, Prof. Aron Popovtzer, said on Friday only that Netanyahu was diagnosed “several months ago” and was administered radiation treatment around two and a half months ago.
According to the outlet, the treatments took place a few days apart from each other, with each one lasting about 20 minutes. The sessions are thought to have been scheduled early in the morning or late at night each time, to maintain the premier’s privacy and allow him to continue working as normal, it says.
Popovtzer, in his statement Friday, said the 76-year-old prime minister had a tumor measuring 0.9 centimeters that was early-stage adenocarcinoma of the prostate, which was found during a routine check-up.
He said that tests showed that the radiation treatment was successful, and Netanyahu would “continue with routine follow-up.”
Report: New US immigration policy could see green card applicants rejected for anti-Israel social media posts
Would-be immigrants to the United States could now have their green card applications rejected for expressing anti-Israel sentiment on social media or participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, according to a New York Times report, which cites internal documents distributed within the Department of Homeland Security.
According to the Times, the documents include updated training material that instructs agency employees to reject applications for a green card — a US permanent resident visa — if the applicant is found to have expressed opinions or beliefs deemed by the administration to be “anti-American.”
The report notes that although ideology has always played a part when vetting a green card applicant, it had previously only impacted people belonging to Communist or other totalitarian parties, or who had supported calls to overthrow the US government.
Now, however, the report says immigration officers have been instructed to reject applications from anyone with a history of “endorsing, promoting or supporting anti-American views” or “antisemitic terrorism, ideologies or groups.”
One example cited as potential grounds to reject an application was a mock-up of a social media post demanding to “Stop Israeli Terror in Palestine,” the Times says.
Another example seen by the Times showed a map of Israel with the country’s name crossed out and replaced with “Palestine,” while another is said to have called for revenge on Israel for the war in Gaza.
DHS also told immigration officers to pay particular attention to anyone who took part in the pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel campus protests in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and subsequent war in Gaza, the report says.
Six charged in UK after allegedly driving van into entrance of Elbit-owned drone maker
Six people are due to appear in a UK court Monday to face burglary and criminal damage charges after a van allegedly drove into a military drone maker’s entrance gate, police say.
The investigation into the incident in the early hours of Friday at the premises in central England has been led by counter-terrorism officers, Leicestershire Police said.
The business allegedly targeted is understood to be specialized military drone maker UAV Tactical Systems, according to Britain’s domestic Press Association (PA) news agency.
Israel-based defense firm Elbit Systems’ UK arm announced in January that it had fully acquired the British company, which supplies tactical uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), more commonly known as drones, to military and other customers.
Leicestershire Police say the six suspects — men and women from across southern England, aged between 25 and 41 years-old — have each been charged with one count of burglary and one count of causing criminal damage.
“The charges relate to a report that a van had driven into a gate at business premises just after 3 am yesterday,” the force adds in a brief statement.
“The investigation is led by Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands with the support of Leicestershire Police.”
The six people charged are set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Monday.
UAV Tactical Systems has over the last two decades “supplied dozens of advanced tactical uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to the British Army,: according to Elbit Systems’ website.
It has also provided them “to international customers, including the United Nations and Nato member countries,” it notes.
UAV Tactical Systems and Elbit Systems’ UK arm do not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
US re-detains immigrant family of suspect in deadly antisemitic attack, their lawyer says
US immigration agents earlier today detained the family of an Egyptian man accused of firebombing a Jewish protest, days after their release from nearly 10 months in custody, their lawyer says.
“THE EL GAMAL FAMILY WAS REDETAINED BY ICE MOMENTS AGO,” attorney Eric Lee posts on X, referring to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“ICE SAYS DEPORTATION IS IMMINENT,” Lee adds.
Later in the day, US District Judge Fred Biery ordered a stay of removal, meaning the family can remain in the country while it petitions the justice system.
“A federal judge has ordered the El Gamal family’s removal to stop. We are working on getting them back home,” Chris Godshall-Bennett, another lawyer to the family, posts on X.
Hayam El Gamal and her five children, aged between five and 18 years old, had been released on Thursday from an immigrant family detention center in Dilley, Texas following a court order.
El Gamal’s ex-husband, Mohammed Sabry Soliman, faces federal charges over a June 2025 attack on a group rallying in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Soliman allegedly targeted the protest in Boulder, Colorado with Molotov cocktails and an improvised flamethrower.
Fifteen people were wounded in the attack, and one of them subsequently died.
The Trump administration had justified the months-long detention of Soliman’s family on the grounds they may have had prior knowledge of his intentions.
However, he and El Gamal, who were divorced after Soliman’s arrest, have maintained that he acted alone.
Biery on Thursday endorsed a recommendation by a magistrate judge to release the family and dismissed the government’s objections that they posed a danger or a flight risk. Biery conditioned the release of El Gamal and her adult daughter Habiba Soliman on wearing electronic monitoring devices.
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the Iran war right now? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock under difficult conditions to cover this conflict;
Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and emails; and
Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel