Washington shooting: Afghan national in custody, victims still critical

An Afghan national has been accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House, in what officials described as a startling breach of security in one of the country’s most heavily monitored zones.

The attack unfolded at a moment when the deployment of National Guard troops to Washington and several other cities has become a politically charged issue, with critics questioning whether domestic military mobilisation has blurred the line between policing and federal force.

Early accounts from law enforcement indicated that the shooting took place near a patrol post used by Guard members assisting local police with holiday-week security measures. The area was crowded with pre-Thanksgiving foot traffic, and several witnesses described a sudden burst of gunfire that sent people scrambling for cover.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive, but investigators are said to be examining whether the suspect had recently expressed grievances linked to the abrupt end of his work with US agencies in Afghanistan.

FBI director Kash Patel and Washington mayor Muriel Bowser said the two Guard members were hospitalised in critical condition after Wednesday afternoon’s shooting. West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey, who initially announced the troops had died, later walked back the statement, saying he had received “conflicting reports” about their condition.

Attorney-general Pam Bondi on Thursday morning declined to comment on the status of the injured personnel but said on Fox News that they had “come through surgery”.

Bondi added that charges against the suspect would be determined by the guard members’ “prognosis,” stressing: “If something happens, I will tell you right now. I will tell you early. We will do everything in our power to seek the death penalty against that monster.”

Officials confirmed that prior to his 2021 arrival in the United States, the suspect worked with the US government, including the CIA, “as a member of a partner force in Kandahar”, according to a statement from John Ratcliffe, the spy agency’s director.

Ratcliffe did not specify the nature of the suspect's work, but noted that the relationship “ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation” of US service members from Afghanistan.

The shooting — one of the rare instances in which National Guard members have been attacked on American soil — came on the eve of Thanksgiving, heightening concerns among security planners already grappling with political battles over the Trump administration’s use of federal troops to address what it has characterised as a worsening crime surge in major cities.

Within hours of the incident, the Trump administration ordered an additional 500 National Guard personnel to Washington, a move critics said risked further militarising the capital at a moment of public unease.

The suspect, who was taken into custody, was also shot during the confrontation and sustained injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Officials said the 29-year-old suspect entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration initiative that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the US withdrawal. The programme brought roughly 76,000 people to the country, many of whom had worked with American troops and diplomats as interpreters, translators and support staff.

It has since come under intense scrutiny from Trump and his allies, congressional Republicans and several watchdog agencies, who allege shortcomings in the vetting process and question the speed with which individuals were admitted. Advocates, however, argue that the programme provided a critical escape route for Afghans at risk of Taliban reprisals and that isolated incidents should not overshadow its humanitarian purpose.

With AP/PTI inputs