Shooting near the White House leaves two National Guard troops injured
Two United States National Guard service members were critically wounded in a shooting in downtown Washington, D.C., just one block from the White House, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to Al Jazeera, the attack was carried out by a lone gunman at approximately 2:15pm local time. Deputy Police Chief of the District of Columbia Jeffery Carroll said both guardsmen remain in critical condition in hospital. The suspect was apprehended within minutes and was also hospitalized.
US President Donald Trump said the attacker would be brought to “swift and certain justice”, calling the incident “an act of terror”.
In a video address, he stated that according to available information, the detained suspect is a foreign national who arrived in the United States from Afghanistan.
In response, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it is halting the processing of all applications related to Afghan nationals until further notice.
Following the shooting, security was significantly increased in central Washington, with streets cordoned off and FBI, Secret Service and National Guard personnel working at the scene. At the president’s request, an additional 500 troops are expected to be deployed to Washington, D.C.
Several U.S. media outlets have reported that the attacker is a 29-year-old man who has lived in Washington since 2021, but officials have not confirmed these details.
Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation.
Earlier, in October, Canada saw a deadly shooting incident when one person was killed and two others were seriously injured at a Starbucks in Laval, Quebec.
