President Donald Trump has asked for 500 more National Guard troops to be deployed to Washington, DC, following the shooting of two guardsmen. The suspect is in custody and the investigation continues.

An Afghan national has been accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence.

Authorities identify the two National Guard members shot just blocks from the White House, as the FBI carries out searches of two properties on the US west coast.

An Afghan national has been accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday that flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were briefly paused following the shooting of two members of the National Guard near the White House.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Lakanwal “was one of the many unvetted, mass paroled into the United States,” repeating a long-cited criticism of many Republicans, who argue the withdrawal—and subsequent evacuation and resettling of the Afghan nationals—in 2021 was rushed.

A man had to be taken to a Pittsburgh hospital after an overnight shooting in Washington County. According to the City of Washington Police Department, on Wednesday night, they were called to the area of the Washington Community Club on North Main Street.

The soldiers were critically injured and hospitalised. The alleged attacker was shot, not fatally, by another Guard member. Donald Trump called it an “act of terror” and promised that the “animal” responsible would pay the “steepest possible price”. Officials named the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan.