Selak Raspudić witnessed attack in Washington: The services reacted in seconds

Member of Croatian Parliament Marija Selak Raspudić was at the hotel in Washington where the attack took place during the White House Correspondents' Dinner, which was also attended by US President Donald Trump, and described the chaos that ensued after the shooting, emphasizing that the security services reacted quickly.

In a statement to the HINA news agency, Marija Selak Raspudić said that she was in Washington at the invitation of the State Department on a scholarship to which she was invited. It allows her to learn about the functioning of American democracy and the relationship between local and state governments. She is staying in the same hotel where the shooting occurred during the White House Correspondents' Dinner, which was also attended by US President Donald Trump. She was in the hotel lobby during the attack.

“Suddenly, chaos breaks out and people start to leave at lightning speed, some of them were surrounded by security services. At that moment, no one thinks anything has happened. I thought Trump was leaving. Together with my colleague from Poland, I go out in front of the hotel and see some people being taken out. A large number of armed Secret Service members appear, telling us that no one is allowed to move and approach the armored vehicles, and then we realize that something very serious has happened,” Selak Raspudić described.

The other guests from the Correspondents' Dinner were also evacuated soon after.

“What fascinated me was the speed with which the evacuation took place. They are very well organized and prepared for such a situation. It really was a split second, "boom, boom" and only upon returning to the hotel did we learn that it was an attack and I am glad, above all, that no one was hurt. It is completely unacceptable for anyone in any country to try to physically attack someone involved in politics,” said Selak Raspudić.

“The hotel is now operating normally, although sirens and helicopters could be heard all night,” she testified. She added that as a country, we do not value our own security enough and that we may be naive and unaware of how some things can work in other countries and that we should be more careful. She also says she feels safe because she saw how quickly the security services responded. She will continue her stay in the US and believes she will be able to discuss the incident on Monday, when the official program begins.

Source: HINA/HRT