Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian

In response to a media inquiry on the shooting at the White House correspondent's dinner, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday that "the shooting incident has come to China's attention. We oppose and condemn illegal violence."

The man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner railed against policies of the US administration and referred to himself as a "Friendly Federal Assassin" in writings sent to family members minutes before an attack that authorities increasingly believe was politically motivated, according to US media including the Associated Press (AP).

The writings, sent shortly before shots were fired Saturday night at the Washington Hilton, made repeated references to US President Donald Trump without naming him directly and alluded to grievances over a range of administration actions, including US strikes on boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, AP reported. 

Several US media outlets have reported on the existence of the manifesto, which reportedly states that the shooter wanted to target administration officials, per ABC News. 

The suspect, who is identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, is expected to be arraigned in court on Monday local time. He faces two charges: using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, CNN reported.

Trump said Sunday that the suspect was probably a "pretty sick guy" who had an anti-Christian manifesto. 

"He was a Christian, believer, and then he became an anti-Christian, and he had a lot of change," Trump told CBS's "60 Minutes" program.  

During the TV program, Trump called CBS' Norah O'Donnell "disgraceful" after she raised comments that the gunman allegedly made about him in a manifesto, according to Axios. 

Also, in an extended "60 Minutes" interview, Trump dismissed the conspiracy theories that the incident was staged, saying people spreading them are "more sick than they are con people," according to CBS News.

Acting US Attorney-General Todd Blanche posted on social media a picture of a letter the Justice Department filed in a lawsuit that called the Saturday incident an "assassination attempt on President Trump." Blanche wrote alongside the picture "It's time to build the ballroom." 

ABC News, citing Blanche, reported that the suspect traveled from Los Angeles to Washington, DC by train via Chicago, and checked in at the Washington Hilton, which was hosting the dinner on Saturday evening, in the past day or two. 

According to CNN, it was the hotel where former president Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. The suspect in the message to family also said he had expected more when writing about the hotel's lax security, per NBC News.  

It was the first time in years that Trump joined the press corps. However, the event was abruptly cut short when gunshots rang out and the scene descended into panic. CNN said the president called for the interrupted White House Correspondents' Dinner to be rescheduled within 30 days and include more security.

Following the incident, former president Barack Obama on Sunday urged Americans to "reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy" in a statement posted to X. 

CNN published an analysis on Monday, saying the Saturday night attack followed a trend of lone attackers with apparently political motives whose actions in an outraged age threaten essential rituals of American democracy.

If it is confirmed that Trump was a target, this would be the third assassination attempt against him in less than two years. A spate of killings, attacks and threats against prominent figures in both parties underscores huge risks inherent in public life, according to CNN. 

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, noted a rising trend of political violence in the US, which he believes is a result of the polarization of internal politics and intensifying social divide. When different and often contradictory opinions cannot compromise and be accommodated in existing mechanisms, they will find a way to be expressed, Li said.