Two National Guardsmen shot near White House in “targeted” attack, suspect arrested

Two United States National Guardsmen from West Virginia are in critical condition after being shot near the White House in what Washington officials described as a “targeted shooting”.

Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed the incident on Wednesday, saying a suspect had been taken into custody.

“I want to send my thoughts and prayers to the families of the guardsmen and to the guardsmen who are in critical condition in a local hospital,” she said.

Confusion initially surrounding the guardsmen’s condition was fuelled by West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, who prematurely announced their deaths before retracting his statement, citing “conflicting reports”. In an earlier post, he said:

“These brave West Virginians lost their lives in the service of their country,” adding that the state would “demand full accountability for this horrific act.”

Donald Trump swiftly weighed in, vowing the perpetrator would pay a “very steep price”. From his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, he went further, saying the Department of Homeland Security was “confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan” and announcing new measures to remove people who do “not belong here”.

Following that claim, US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it was suspending “the processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals” while it reviews “security and vetting protocols”.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the response would include a visible military escalation, announcing the deployment of 500 additional National Guardsmen to the capital.

“This happened just steps from the White House and it will not stand,” he said.

Police say the attack appears to have been carried out by a lone gunman. “It appears to be a lone gunman that raised the firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard, and he was quickly taken into custody,” said Metropolitan Police deputy chief Jeffery Carroll, noting the suspect was also hospitalised.

Trump was not at the White House at the time, having left for Florida ahead of Thanksgiving.