ALERT: “Obsession” for the White House, injured passerby… What we know about the gunman shot dead on Saturday in Washington
Global Update:
Global attention remains focused on this evolving story as officials and analysts assess the broader implications.
A man opened fire Saturday evening against a security checkpoint near the White House in Washington, before being shot dead by Secret Service police officers, according to authorities who also reported a bystander injured in the shooting. Here’s what we know. What happened? On Saturday, shortly after 6 p.m. (local time), a man who was at the northwest corner of the White House security perimeter, at the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, “pulled a gun from his bag and opened fire,” wrote in a statement Anthony Guglielmi, spokesperson for the Secret Service, the police agency responsible for protecting the presidency and the Vice President. “Secret Service police officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. During the shooting, a passerby was also hit by bullets,” added this official, without giving details on the state of health of this passerby. No Secret Service agent was injured. Perimeter cordoned off Police sealed off access to the White House, which was temporarily confined. A Canadian tourist, Reid Adrian, said he was in the area when “we heard about 20 to 25 bangs that sounded like fireworks, but they were gunshots, and then everyone started running.” Reporters who were on the North Lawn at the time reported on X that they were ordered to run and take cover in the White House press room. ABC News correspondent Selina Wang was recording a video for social media when gunshots apparently rang out. She captured the sound of the explosions as she threw herself to the ground. Was Donald Trump targeted? The American president was in the building at the time of the incident. He announced on Friday that he would spend this long weekend at the White House, after having canceled all his trips due to the crisis with Iran. He was not “affected” by the incident, said Anthony Guglielmi. “Thank you to our wonderful agents of the Secret Service and law enforcement for the rapid and professional intervention” wrote Donald Trump on his social network Truth. At 79, Trump has been the target of three alleged assassination attempts, the most recent of which took place on April 25, when a gunman stormed a security gate near the ballroom where the president was attending a dinner with the media. Who is the shooter? Several American media outlets have identified the suspect as 21-year-old Nasire Best. According to them, this man from the state of Maryland, near Washington, had a history of mental disorders and was already known to the Secret Service for having prowled around the White House on several occasions. He was notably arrested last July for having entered a restricted area of the perimeter of the White House, ignoring signs and injunctions to stop, reports the New York Times. He was also briefly detained in June of the same year for blocking vehicle access to the east side of the White House. He then told the officers that he was “Jesus Christ and that he wanted to be arrested.” He was then subject to a restraining order prohibiting him from approaching the White House. An arrest warrant was issued for him after he failed to appear at a hearing in August. In his social media post, President Trump described the shooter as having “a violent past” and a “possible obsession” with the White House.
International Perspective:
This event is already generating discussion among political analysts and international organizations worldwide.
Additional reactions from governments and international institutions are expected as the situation evolves.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing international story.
Source: This article was originally published by 20Minutes – Actu Monde and adapted for our international English-speaking audience.
Read the original article here.