Two National Guard members shot near the White House
The soldiers were still alive and in critical condition, said FBI director Kash Patel.
Two US National Guard members deployed in Washington DC have been shot just blocks from the White House in an act of violence described by the mayor as a targeted attack.
FBI director Kash Patel and Washington mayor Muriel Bowser said the members of the West Virginia National Guard were in critical condition in hospital.
The presence of the National Guard in the nation’s capital has been a flashpoint issue for months, fuelling a court fight and a broader public policy debate about the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat what officials cast as an out-of-control crime problem.
Jeffrey Carroll, an executive assistant DC police chief, said investigators had no information on a motive. He said the assailant “came around the corner” and immediately started firing at the troops, citing video reviewed by investigators.
“This was a targeted shooting,” Ms Bowser said.
West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey initially said the troops had died, but later said his office was “receiving conflicting reports” about their condition.
A suspect who was in custody was also shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement source.
Two law enforcement officials told the Associated Press the suspect was believed to be an Afghan national who entered the US in September 2021 and has been living in Washington state.
They said the suspect has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, but authorities were still working to confirm his background.
The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington after the shooting. Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump asked him to send the extra troops.
Nearly 2,200 troops are assigned to the joint taskforce operating in the city, according to the government’s latest update.
The shooting happened roughly two blocks north west of the White House near a metro station.
After hearing gunfire, other troops in the area ran over and held down the gunman after he was shot, Mr Carroll said.
“It appears to be a lone gunman that raised a firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard,” he said, adding that it was not clear whether one of the Guard members or a law enforcement officer shot the suspect.
“At this point, we have no other suspects,” Mr Carroll told a news conference.
At least one of the Guard members exchanged gunfire with the gunman, said another law enforcement source.
Social media video showed first responders performing CPR on one of the troops and treating the other on a glass-covered sidewalk.
More than 300 West Virginia National Guard members were deployed to Washington in August. Last week, about 160 volunteered to extend their deployment until the end of the year while the others returned to West Virginia.
Police tape cordoned off the scene and agents from the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on scene, as National Guard troops stood nearby. At least one helicopter landed on the National Mall.
Mr Trump, who was in Florida for Thanksgiving, warned in a statement on social media that the “animal” who shot the guard members “will pay a very steep price”.
“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”
Mr Trump issued an emergency order in August that federalised the local police force and sent in National Guard troops from eight states and the District of Columbia. The order expired a month later but the troops remained.
Last week, a federal judge ordered an end to the deployment but also put her order on hold for 21 days to allow the Trump administration time to either remove the troops or appeal against the decision.
The Guard members have patrolled neighbourhoods, railway stations and other locations, participated in highway checkpoints and been assigned to pick up rubbish and guard sports events.
