Suspect in custody after shots fired at White House correspondents' dinner

President Donald Trump has just posted on social media a picture of the man in custody and security camera footage of what appears to be the start of the shooting.

He says he shared it in the interest of transparency.

The FBI has confirmed that a suspect is in custody after shots were fired at the hotel where White Correspondents Dinner was taking place.

The suspect has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, US media report - he will be formally charged in court on Monday.

A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, Trump says, adding that he was taken down by "some very brave members" of the Secret Service.

The incident happened at about 20:35 ET (00:35 GMT, 01:35 BST) - the gunman was later brought down by the Secret Service.

One Secret Service officer was shot at very close range, but was saved by his bullet-proof vest, Trump says.

Trump says the suspect, who has been taken into custody, was "a very sick person".

"We don't want things like this to happen," he says.

He also thanks the event's representatives who "did a beautiful job with a beautiful evening" that was focused on free speech and the constitution.

The event will be rescheduled in the next 30 days, he says adding that it will be "bigger and better and even nicer".

Trump also thanks the media, who he says were "very responsible" in their coverage of the situation.

Trump says that one Secret Service officer was shot from a very close distance in the incident, but saved by his bullet-proof vest.

"I just spoke to the officer, and he's doing great," Trump says. "He has very high spirits, and we told him we love him and respect him, and he's a very proud guy."

Trump makes reference to the White House ball room under construction.

He says law enforcement have been wanting for a ball room for "150 years".

Tonight's shooting "is why we have all the attributes of what we're planning at the White House", the president says.

"We need levels of security that you've never seen before."

Washington DC police chief will speak soon.

Major questions remain surrounding this shooting incident, but in the immediate aftermath it has already raised concerns around the security arrangements for the White House Correspondents Dinner.

The event at the Washington Hilton is attended most years by the president and several Cabinet secretaries and other senior administration officials, in addition to hundreds of journalists.

Attendees are required to go through airport-style security to gain access to the main ballroom where the dinner takes place. There is also security outside of the hotel itself.

In theory, it should be as secure an event as possible in Washington. There haven’t been any similar incidents at past White House correspondent dinners. But the fact that it happened tonight will no doubt put a spotlight on security at this event going forward.