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

It soon emerged that suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allen, 31 of Torrance, California had been arrested by security officials. Allen was armed with knives, a shotgun and a handgun at the time of arrest.

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