WASHINGTON: Two US National Guard soldiers were shot and critically wounded Wednesday two blocks from the White House and police said a suspect had been taken into custody.
“Please join me in praying for the two National Guardsmen who were just shot moments ago in Washington DC,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X.
An AFP reporter near the scene said she heard several loud pops that sounded like gunshots, and then saw people running away from Farragut Square, a popular and busy outdoor area near the White House and a subway station.
Trump, who is in Florida, was quickly briefed on the “tragic” situation, a spokeswoman said.
“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Local authorities confirmed that emergency services responded to and transported three gunshot victims from the area.
Secret Service were seen behind yellow police tape, their guns drawn.
“We heard gunshots. We were waiting at the traffic light and there were several shots,” Angela Perry, who was in her car with her two children, told AFP.
“You could see National Guard running toward the metro with their weapons drawn,” the 42-year-old said.
Trump has sent National Guard troops to Democratic-run Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis to combat crime and help enforce his crackdown on undocumented migrants.
Last Thursday a federal judge ruled that Trump’s deployment of thousands of National Guard troops in the US capital is unlawful.
His extraordinary domestic use of the Guard was also challenged by California earlier this year after the president sent troops to Los Angeles to quell protests sparked by the rounding up of undocumented migrants.
Two National Guard soldiers shot near White House, suspect in custody
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Two National Guard soldiers shot near White House, suspect in custody
- Emergency services responded to and transported three gunshot victims from the area
- Trump, who is in Florida, was quickly briefed on the “tragic” situation
Senegal ex-minister faces $2.7m embezzlement probe
- At least five of Sall’s ministers have since been referred to the west African country’s High Court of Justice
- The National Assembly voted on Friday to refer former communications and digital affairs minister Moussa Bocar Thiam to the court
DAKAR: Senegal’s parliament on Friday referred a former minister to a special court for allegedly embezzling millions in taxpayers’ cash, in the latest case targeting a member of ex-president Macky Sall’s government.
Since unseating Sall in March 2024, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko have repeatedly accused their predecessors of mismanaging the public purse, pledging to bring them to justice.
At least five of Sall’s ministers have since been referred to the west African country’s High Court of Justice, which is responsible for trying former members of government over crimes committed while in office.
The National Assembly, which is overwhelmingly dominated by Faye and Sonko’s ruling Pastef party, voted on Friday to refer former communications and digital affairs minister Moussa Bocar Thiam to the court over a contract for a digital technology park.
According to a parliamentary report, the contract’s execution showed “serious indications and presumptions of a nature to justify criminal proceedings against Minister Moussa Bocar Thiam for criminal conspiracy, embezzlement of public funds to the tune of 1,476,482,766 CFA francs ($2.7 million) and money laundering.”
The ex-minister replied on social media to denounce the process as “without legal basis,” adding that he would fight the matter in court.
After a hearing, the High Court of Justice’s investigating committee will decide whether to bring Thiam to trial. The tribunal’s rulings cannot be appealed or reviewed.
