Shots fired in Washington National Guardswoman dies after attack
A man shoots two National Guardsmen and critically injures them. One day later, the woman dies - the man continues to fight for his life.
28.11.2025, 04:57
28.11.2025, 09:19
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- Two National Guardsmen were shot near the White House in Washington.
- They were taken to hospital in a critical condition.
- One of the two National Guardsmen shot in the US capital Washington died on Thursday, according to US President Donald Trump.
- The seriously injured suspected shooter has been arrested.
This article was last updated on Friday, November 28, 2025, at 7:05 a.m.
One of the two National Guardsmen shot in the US capital Washington has died, according to US President Donald Trump. During an evening conversation with members of the US military who were connected online, the Republican said that the woman had succumbed to her serious injuries. The man was still fighting for his life, Trump said. "He is in very bad condition."
He also announced a complete ban on the USA admitting all people from "third world countries". "I will permanently stop migration from all Third World countries," the Republican announced shortly before midnight (Washington local time) on his online platform Truth Social. He went on to write that he wanted to "give the US system the opportunity to fully recover" - although it remained unclear exactly which countries Trump was referring to and how and when he intended to enforce such an admission ban.
On Wednesday, the 29-year-old alleged perpetrator fired at the two National Guardsmen near the Farragut West subway station, just a few blocks from the White House, critically injuring them. The suspect - an Afghan - was overpowered and is in custody. Trump had described the attack as an "act of terror" and the suspect as a "monster".
According to prosecutors, the National Guardsmen were a 20-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man from the US state of West Virginia. The incident had shocked the country on the eve of the American Thanksgiving holiday.
The background to the crime remains unknown. On Thursday, authorities remained unclear as to what motivated the alleged perpetrator to drive across the country from Bellingham, a city between Seattle and Vancouver, to Washington to shoot at National Guardsmen.
Suspect worked for partner organization of the US military
According to US media reports, the alleged perpetrator entered the USA in 2021, but was only granted asylum in 2025 after Trump took office. CIA Director John Ratcliffe told "Fox News Digital" that the man had worked in Kandahar for partner organizations of the US military there and had also worked for the US government and the CIA.
On Thursday evening, Trump claimed that the 29-year-old had entered the USA unchecked. This contrasts with media reports according to which no links between the Afghan and terrorist organizations were found either during checks by the US foreign intelligence service CIA in 2011 or when he entered the United States ten years later.
CNN and a Fox News reporter quoted a person familiar with the matter as saying, "He was inconspicuous in all the checks." When a journalist pointed out that the Department of Justice, which is close to him, had only made it clear hours earlier that the man had been scrutinized by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Trump insulted the reporter.
Trump criticizes immigration policy
Shortly after the attack, Trump criticized his country's immigration policy. "We have a lot of problems with Afghans because so many of them come here," he said. Many of them come into the country unchecked and are criminals. He did not provide any evidence.
Just a few hours after the shooting of the National Guardsmen, the USCIS immigration authority announced that it was suspending the processing of all immigration applications from Afghan nationals until further notice. In addition, Trump announced checks on all people from Afghanistan who had come to the USA under his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.
In a speech on Wednesday evening, Trump called Afghanistan a "hellhole on earth" and claimed that millions of people from all over the world had come to the USA unchecked under Biden. He announced that all people who had entered the country from Afghanistan during Biden's term of office would be vetted again. He would also "take all necessary measures to ensure that all foreigners are deported from all countries that do not belong here or do not benefit our country".
In the charged political climate in the USA, the shooting immediately sparked a debate about who bears political responsibility for the incident. The first Republican MPs called for drastic measures against foreigners in the country. Leading Democrats called for peaceful coexistence. Democratic Senator Jack Reed, for example, declared that "calm, compassion and unity" were now needed.
The US organization AfghanEvac, which supports Afghans, warned against politically exploiting the attack. The isolated act of an individual should not be used as an excuse to discredit an entire community, it said in a statement.
Meanwhile, on Thursday afternoon, USCIS head Joseph Edlow announced a "thorough and comprehensive review of all green cards of all aliens from all problematic countries" at Trump's direction. A "green card" allows foreign nationals to reside and work permanently in the USA.
In response to a question from CNN, the agency stated that 19 countries were already listed in a presidential decree, including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba and Venezuela.
Justice Minister calls for death penalty for attackers
Before the death of the National Guardswoman became known, the acting prosecutor for the US capital, Jeanine Pirro, had said that if one of the two National Guardsmen died, she wanted to charge the suspect with murder. Justice Minister Pam Bondi announced on US broadcaster Fox News that she would seek the death penalty for the man in this case.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the suspect lived with his wife and presumably five children in Bellington in the US state of Washington. He had used a revolver in the crime.
In response to the shooting, Trump had also ordered the deployment of around 500 additional National Guard soldiers to the capital. More than 2,000 National Guardsmen have been on the move in the city since the summer. Trump ordered them there in August and justified the deployment with allegedly rampant crime. This account is highly controversial - statistics do not support it.
The US President spoke to the family of those killed that evening and announced that he would attend the funeral.
Numerous soldiers in the capital since the summer
More than 2,000 National Guardsmen have been on the move in Washington since the summer. Trump ordered them to the capital in August and justified their mobilization with allegedly rampant crime. Crime statistics do not support this narrative.
The capital took legal action against the deployment. A federal judge recently declared the deployment of the National Guard to be unlawful and ordered it to end. However, she suspended her decision for three weeks to allow the Trump administration to appeal. The order will therefore remain in force until December 11.
The National Guards are military reserve units and part of the US armed forces. They are normally under the control of the federal states and are deployed in the event of natural disasters, unrest or other emergencies. In certain situations, however, the US President can also assume command. There are special rules for Washington.
