Only BNT with a report from the scene of the shooting against Trump. There was fear and panic, we tried to hide, said the BNT correspondent in the US, Radoslav Minchev, a few hours after the dramatic events.
"I was at a table, to the left of the stage, close to the emergency exit, the opposite direction from where the shots were heard. But moments later, a huge panic ensued, which swept through the hall like a wave. And we were all trying to hide, including myself."
Radoslav Minchev explained that security measures had been strengthened and guests had been checked.
Radoslav Minchev, BNT correspondent in the US: "The authorities in Washington have experience in organizing such events. The streets around the hotel were closed. There was a security perimeter. We were all checked for weapons. But the hotel guests were also there, as the hotel continued to function. And it was in this way that the attacker managed to get to the event. Moments after shots were heard, we heard a huge noise of falling tables, chairs, plates, glasses, and other objects. After the secret service agents tried to evacuate the president and members of his cabinet, it was very difficult for them to circulate, as the tables were very close to each other. According to some of my colleagues, the secret service agents actually pushed some of the guests and stepped on them. I personally did not witness this."
Despite the shock and initial confusion, the journalists present at the dinner began to report from the scene, of which they turned out to be direct witnesses.
Radoslav Minchev, BNT correspondent in the US: "I, as well as all my colleagues, there were not only American journalists, but journalists from all over the world. We all started covering the event. Colleagues with larger teams stayed at the hotel. I myself also evacuated so that I could broadcast from a place near the hotel, as we had no signal down in the ballroom. So exactly all the people who were evacuated managed to get to this signal. But this was supposed to be one of the most glamorous dinners in Washington, and it turned into the price of a crime. And at the same time, this happened in a very unexpected way."
This hall and this place witnessed another very big assassination attempt - against Ronald Reagan in 1981. Reagan was leaving the hotel and was injured after heading to his limousine.
See more in the live broadcast of the BNT correspondent in the US, Radoslav Minchev