The authorities then decide to bring in Muriel to talk some sense into her husband. Overhearing the radio, Cale locates and rescues Sawyer. Cale, who failed to find Emily, kills a mercenary and takes his gun and radio. Once Sawyer gains access, Walker kills his detail, revealing himself to be the real leader and wants vengeance against Sawyer after a botched black ops mission resulted in the death of Walker's son. Walker escorts the President and his detail to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. Meanwhile, mercenaries led by Emil Stenz, who had disguised themselves as video technicians to get inside the White House, start killing off all security officers and take the tour group hostage, but Cale manages to take a gun and escape to go find his daughter. The White House is put on lockdown, separating Cale from Emily, who had left the tour group to use the restroom.

House Speaker Eli Raphelson, who was in the Capitol, remains unharmed and is taken to an underground command center with Finnerty, while Vice President Alvin Hammond is taken aboard Air Force One. The assault begins when Conrad Cern infiltrated the US Capitol disguised as a janitor and sets off a bomb at the center of the building. He went to check-up and was diagnosed with cancer, which making him far more determined to achieve his vengeful goal as he does not have much time left to live. Martin pressed for military action against Iran as vengeance, but because President James Sawyer enforced peace with Iran, Martin became outraged and therefore he put the film's plot, an assault on the White House, into action in order to fulfill his revenge at the Iranians for killing Kevin. His son Kevin was a soldier in the US Marine Corps, but one day Kevin was killed in a mission in Iran, and therefore Martin and his wife Muriel fell into depression and anger over Kevin's death. It is known that Martin Walker had political ambitions before the film's events, since he is the head of Presidential Detail.

Cast of white house down