World leaders across the globe swiftly condemned political violence and expressed relief that President Donald Trump was unharmed after a chaotic armed attack Saturday night disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C.

Their responses poured in on X after a man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby of the Washington Hilton and charged toward the ballroom, where Trump, lawmakers, journalists and foreign dignitaries were gathered, prompting Secret Service agents to open fire and guests to dive under tables.

The suspect — later identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California — was taken into custody, and Trump was rushed offstage unharmed. Officials said the suspect was a guest at the Washington Hilton, where the dinner was being held, and was taken into custody at the scene. He is expected to appear in court on Monday.

In their reactions, world leaders emphasized both solidarity with the United States and concern over rising political violence.

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French President Emmanuel Macron called the incident “unacceptable,” writing that “violence has no place in a democracy” while expressing “full support” for Trump.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni echoed that sentiment, warning against political extremism.

“No political hatred can find space in our democracies,” she said, adding that democratic nations must not allow “fanaticism to poison the places of free debate and information.”

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “relieved” Trump, the first lady and Vice President JD Vance were safe, stressing that violence “must be unequivocally condemned.”

Leaders across Europe struck a similar tone. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “shocked by the scenes,” calling the attack one that must be “condemned in the strongest possible terms,” particularly given it targeted a high-profile democratic event.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was “appalled,” adding that democracies must “stand together against political violence.”

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte framed the incident as a broader threat to democratic systems, calling it “an attack on our free and open societies” and reaffirming solidarity with the United States.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the incident as an “attempted assassination,” though U.S. authorities have not publicly characterized it as such, saying he and his wife were “shocked” while praising U.S. security forces for their “swift and decisive action.” He also wished a speedy recovery to a police officer who was shot in a bullet-resistant vest during the confrontation.

From the Western Hemisphere, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “relieved” all attendees were safe but called the episode a “disturbing event,” while Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said simply, “Violence should never be the way.”

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Argentine President Javier Milei issued one of the strongest statements, condemning what he described as a “new assassination attempt,” and linking the attack to “violent rhetoric of the left all over the world.” His characterization has not been confirmed by U.S. officials.

Leaders from beyond the traditional Western alliance also weighed in. Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, said her government “strongly condemns” the attack and emphasized that “violence is never an option,” while European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas highlighted the symbolism of the venue, noting that “an event meant to honour a free press should never become a scene of fear.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised U.S. law enforcement and Secret Service agents for their “swift action” in containing the situation.

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The attack marks the latest in a string of security threats against Trump since 2024 and is likely to intensify scrutiny over security protocols at major public events involving the president. It is also likely to renew conversations about rising political violence in the U.S.

Authorities say the suspect acted alone and have not yet identified a motive. FBI and local law enforcement officials descended on the suspect’s Torrance home Saturday night.

EU leaders vowed to boost security and economic ties with Middle East partners and push for a diplomatic end to the Iran war, after talks in Cyprus focusing on the fallout from the conflict.

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Leaders from Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Jordan as well as the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, were in Nicosia to meet their European Union counterparts on the sidelines of an EU summit.

“The current situation clearly underscores how closely Europe’s security is linked with that of the Middle East, and how vital our cooperation on security and defence has become,” European Council president António Costa told a press conference after the talks.

Although no formal decisions were taken, the summit provided an opportunity to exchange views about the war, the situation in Lebanon and across the Gulf, as well as the economic consequences for Europe amid the US blockade of Iranian ports and Tehran effectively shuttering the Strait of Hormuz.

“The recent ceasefires between the US and Iran, Israel and Lebanon are welcome developments. Now all parties must engage in good faith to achieve a peace. The European Union is not part of the conflict, but we will be part of this solution,” European Council President Antonio Costa said at a press conference on Friday.

Fighting has currently been suspended in both Iran and Lebanon. Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said that a ceasefire with Iran that was due to expire on 22 April had been extended indefinitely, while on Thursday he said that a suspension of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon had been extended for three weeks.

Meanwhile, the White House said on Friday evening that special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would head to Pakistan for a second round of talks on Saturday.

European officials have floated the idea of a multinational force to escort commercial ships and clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz, but the plan remains at an early stage and it is unclear whether it will be implemented.

Even if EU leaders are actively avoiding direct involvement in the war, they’re aiming to provide support to Middle Eastern countries affected by it, which the EU considers strategic partners in energy, migration and digitalisation.

Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa was among the key regional figures at the talks and he reiterated the importance of bilateral relations with the EU and described them as “essential and inevitable, particularly to ensure global security and the stability of supply chains.”

At the same time, he asked the international community to “uphold its responsibilities in addressing all forms of Israeli aggression affecting our land and territories.”

Increasing energy prices in Europe

Another topic of discussion was rising energy prices around the world due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The standoff is choking off nearly all exports through the vital waterway, through which around 20% of the world’s traded oil passes in peacetime.

The disruption has sent energy prices soaring across Europe, prompting fears of shortages and economic decline.

EU leaders discussed a set of new measures unveiled by the European Commission earlier this week, such as social schemes, tax reductions and subsidies for green technologies.

“Since the beginning of this conflict, our bill for imported fossil fuels has increased by over €25 billion without a single molecule of energy in addition. We need to reduce our over-dependency on important fossil fuels because these make us vulnerable to crises,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

Von der Leyen also said work was under way to boost economic, trade and political ties with Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Gulf nations and proposed those partnerships broaden to defence matters.

“We could consider expanding the scope of missions like Operation Aspides evolving from mere protection to a sophisticated joint maritime coordination,” she said without providing further details.

Aspides is the EU’s naval mission in the Red Sea, launched in 2024 to prevent attacks on trade vessels by Iran-backed Houthi rebel forces.

“The threat of mass proliferation of drones and missiles is sadly a shared reality. We should set up a structural cooperation of scaling up defence production,” von der Leyen added.

EDITOR’S NOTE: In the weeks after the April 26, 1986, explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, it was difficult to get any information about the scope of the disaster, aside from terse announcements from the government of the Soviet Union.

Acting on a telephone tip, then-Associated Press Moscow correspondent Carol J. Williams and another Western journalist drove to a cemetery in the northwestern part of the capital, where they discovered the simple graves of some of the victims. The journalists were briefly detained by police at the cemetery and accused of trespassing but were able to see workers digging the graves for the victims.

As part of its coverage of the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, AP is republishing Williams’ story from June 24, 1986:

___

By CAROL J. WILLIAMS

MOSCOW (AP) — The 23 fresh graves just inside the main entrance of the Mitinskoye Cemetery are all alike. There is no sign to identify the dead as victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Each grave has flowers on the mound of earth and a concrete border. Workmen are erecting identical marble tombstones. Eerily empty spaces indicate more deaths are expected.

Six of the headstones bear the names of firefighters the Soviet press has identified as victims of radiation at Chernobyl, and a cemetery official said Tuesday the plot was for those who died as a result of the nuclear accident.

At the cemetery on Moscow’s northwest outskirts, workers toiled in steady drizzle putting up marble headstones bearing the victims’ names, birthdates and the day they died in gold-painted inscription. All the dates of death were after the April 26 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Some graves had temporary, hand-printed signs with the names and dates.

A cemetery official who declined to give his name to two Western reporters who visited Mitinskoye said a monument will eventually be built to those who died.

“They will all be brought here,” the official said, declining to say how many deaths have occurred as a result of the Chernobyl accident.

The last official report on casualties from the Ukrainian power station was given on June 5, when Soviet officials said 26 people had died, including two killed during the initial fire and explosion.

One of the victims, power plant worker Valery Khodemchuk, will be entombed with the ruined No. 4 reactor because his body was never recovered, the Communist Party daily Pravda reported on May 23.

The newspaper reported that another man, Vladimir Shashenok, had been killed instantly and buried at a village near the power station.

American bone marrow specialist Dr. Robert Gale, who helped Soviet doctors treat those suffering from radiation sickness, has said there would probably be more deaths among the 55 or 60 people still in serious condition.

Those suffering radiation sickness were brought to a Moscow hospital and the deaths presumably occurred there.

At Mitinskoye Cemetery, more deaths seem expected. Fifteen graves form a row at the back of the Chernobyl plot. There is a second row of eight graves, with three graves to the right and five to the left of a gap that would accommodate seven graves.

On the headstones of firefighters Viktor Kibenok, Vladimir Pravik, Nikolai Vashchuk, Vasily Ignatenko, Vladimir Tishchura and Nikolai Titenok are etched gold stars and the ranks they held in the military fire brigade that first responded to the accident.

Graveyard workers declined to say how long ago the burials took place, or whether rituals were separate for each victim or held together for the group.

Bouquets of red and pink flowers left by relatives were carefully placed on the mounded earth on each grave.

“It’s very sad, they were so young,” commented an elderly woman visiting another area of the cemetery. “They were brought here to be treated at hospitals, but they couldn’t be sent home to be buried.”

A danger zone has been drawn around an area of the nuclear power station and all residents of the area have been evacuated.

Cemetery officials confiscated the notes and film of the two reporters, saying reporters needed permission to visit the cemetery.

A policeman stationed at the cemetery said it was off limits to all except family members and special permission was needed from local authorities to copy the names on the headstones or take pictures.

The official later escorted the two reporters to the graves on condition they not make notes or take pictures.