Two National Guardsmen are in critical condition after a shooting in Washington DC, near the White House.
A day before Thanksgiving, a lone gunman opened fire on two members of the National Guard on Wednesday, November 26, at around 2:15pm local time, just two blocks northwest of the White House, Al Jazeera reported.
FBI Director Kash Patel, who called the incident “a matter of national security,” and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said that the guards injured in the shooting are hospitalised in critical conditions.
Officials confirmed that the suspect of the shooting has been arrested.
The 29-year-old suspect, identified as an Afghan national, was also shot and is currently injured, but the wounds are not life-threatening.
US President Donald Trump called the incident a “horrific attack” on “Great National Guard Warriors” in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
Later, while speaking to media aboard Air Force One, he said, “It was a crime against our entire nation.”
“It was a crime against humanity. We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country,” he added.
It is worth noting that the Trump administration was already re-checking entries into the US during former President Joe Biden’s government. The Republican government has accused the previous administration of allowing migrants to enter into the country without proper checking.
