It was November 1995 and I had the ‘luck’ of sharing hotel with William J. Clinton. Don’t think I’m conceited or bragging about anything. I ‘shared’ hotel, it was the Europa exactly, because the then President of the United States traveled to Belfast to attend the lighting of the Christmas tree and to show his support for peace in Northern Ireland. And I was assigned to cover the event. That’s what I was paid for.
By the way, it was the only time I could see live one of my favorites, Van Morrison. The ‘Lion of Belfast’ also participated in that memorable day and managed to make many shed, we shed, a few tears when he performed ‘Days Like This’ in front of a crowd that was beginning to see the end of the ‘troubles’ more closely.
The fact is that I was there to cover that visit, and I happened to be staying at the Europa hotel, where the president and his entire entourage stayed for one night. Let it be clear that I made the reservation beforehand, otherwise, I would have had to go sleep in Derry, at the very least.
What I’m getting at with this introduction is the perplexity I felt seeing how the last person who tried to assassinate Donald Trump —there have been three— passed through the metal detector installed in the hotel where the traditional Correspondents’ Dinner was being held. He did not show sophistication. Nor did he show any special speed. In any case, he played with surprise. And in the United States, voices are starting to be heard expressing serious doubts.
Let me return to Belfast. What I remember from that time is that I —staying in the same hotel as Clinton, as they now say about Trump’s attacker— couldn’t even access the lobby if the American delegation had not yet secured the presidential couple in their room. I had to stay outside until everything was cleared. And of course, I could not access, under any circumstances and at any time, the floors —I believe they blocked 5 floors— occupied by the American delegation.
I’m not saying that while Trump was in the room where the dinner was being held, access to the hotel should not be allowed, but, as I will relate to you next, the security service during those days did not relax at any moment. Something that —as is evident in the security footage— is noticeable in the incident at the Correspondents’ Dinner. There was relaxation, and a lot.
What I saw those days in Belfast contrasts greatly with how, as seen in the videos, a single individual —a professor probably very good in his subjects but surely with little military training— was able to pass through a metal detector as if it were butter, where there were at least 6 or 7 security agents armed to the teeth.
It is surprising that Cole Allen begins his rush in front of all of them, who only react when the subject passes through the arch and seems to shoot at one of the agents. None draw their weapon until he is seen disappearing from the screen, while there is notable confusion until some begin to chase him.
I am sure that this would not have happened during the Clintons’ stay in Belfast. And I am sure because, besides the fact that neither Sinn Fein, nor the Unionists, nor anyone was interested in an attack against Clinton, the largest deployment of American security agents I had seen up to that moment did not allow a second of relaxation. In those agents, there was concentration, tension, and a clear division of functions. There was no room for improvisation or distraction.
I don’t think the incident at the Washington Hilton hotel can be described in the same way. Donald Trump, surprisingly for his way of acting, reacted with extreme calm. He said that the agents did a “good job” and, indeed, took the opportunity to advocate for his future Ballroom in the White House to host these events.
And that’s where it all ended. The president does not seem too concerned about the fact that a mere civilian managed to breach the security perimeter with a run shorter than that of a football ‘wide receiver’. But surely in the coming days we will begin to hear uncomfortable questions about what happened.
Author’s note: the FBI made public yesterday, April 30, the high-resolution images of the incident. I must clarify that in them, you can see one agent, just one, firing at least 4 times at the assailant. So my assertion that “no one draws their weapon”, based on the first images seen, is not true. On the contrary, it is much clearer how Cole enters the scene through a door that seems to be a service door, where another person, an unidentified man, has just entered, and from which a uniformed agent with a dog has just stepped aside. Without intending to be part of any ‘conspiracy’ sect, I fear that in these days we are going to hear many unanswered questions. Watch the footage and draw your own conclusions.