2 National Guard members shot in an ambush attack just blocks from the White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two West Virginia National Guard members who deployed to the nation’s capital were shot Wednesday afternoon just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence that the mayor described as a targeted attack.

FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said they were hospitalized in critical condition.

The rare shooting of National Guard members, on the day before Thanksgiving, comes as the presence of the troops in the nation’s capital and other cities around the country has been a flashpoint issue for months, fueling court fights and a broader public policy debate about the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat what officials cast as an out-of-control crime problem.

A suspect who was in custody also was shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

The 29-year-old suspect, an Afghan national, entered the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country, officials said.

The initiative brought roughly 76,000 people to the U.S., many of whom had worked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators. It has since faced intense scrutiny from Trump and his allies, congressional Republicans and some government watchdogs over gaps in the vetting process and the speed of admissions, even as advocates say it offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.

The suspect, who has been living in Washington state, has been identified by law enforcement officials as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, but authorities were still working to fully confirm his background, two law enforcement officials and a person familiar with the matter said. The people could not discuss details of an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Lakamal arrived in Bellingham, Washington, about 79 miles (127.1 kilometers) north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, said his former landlord Kristina Widman.

Wednesday night, in a video message released on social media, President Donald Trump called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who entered under the Biden administration.

“If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them,” he said, adding that the shooting was “a crime against our entire nation.”

Jeffery Carroll, an executive assistant D.C. police chief, said investigators had no information on a motive. He said the assailant “came around the corner” and immediately started firing at the troops, citing video reviewed by investigators.

“This was a targeted shooting,” Bowser said.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey initially said the troops had died, but he later walked that statement back to say his office was “receiving conflicting reports” about their condition.

The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump asked him to send the troops.

Nearly 2,200 troops currently are assigned to the joint task force operating in the city, according to the government’s latest update.

The shooting happened roughly two blocks northwest of the White House near a metro station. Hearing gunfire, other troops in the area ran over and held down the gunman after he was shot, Carroll said.

“It appears to be a lone gunman that raised a firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard,” Carroll said, adding that it was not clear whether one of the guard members or a law enforcement officer shot the suspect.

“At this point we have no other suspects,” Carroll said at a news conference.

At least one of the guard members exchanged gunfire with the shooter, said another law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Social media video shared in the immediate aftermath showed first responders performing CPR on one of the troops and treating the other on a glass-covered sidewalk.

Stacy Walters said she was in a car when she heard two gunshots and saw people running. Almost instantly, law enforcement swarmed the area. “It’s such a beautiful day. Who would do this? And we’re getting ready for the holidays?”

Emma McDonald, who exited a metro station just after the shots were fired, said she and a friend sought safety with others in a cafe. McDonald told AP that minutes later she saw first responders rolling a stretcher carrying a National Guard member whose head was covered in blood.

Police tape cordoned off the scene, and fire and police vehicle lights flashed and helicopter blades thudded overhead. Agents from the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were there, and National Guard troops stood sentry nearby. At least one helicopter landed on the National Mall.

“I think it’s a somber reminder that soldiers, whether they’re active duty, reserve or National Guard, our soldiers are the sword and the shield of the United States of America,” Vice President JD Vance said in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he delivered a Thanksgiving message to troops.

Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, scrapped plans to spend the holiday with troops at Guantanamo Bay in order to travel to D.C. and be with guard members there instead.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said on social media that he visited the wounded National Guard members in the hospital and that his “heart breaks for them.”

Trump issued an emergency order in August that federalized the local police force and sent in National Guard troops from eight states and the District of Columbia. The order expired a month later, but the troops remained.

Last week a federal judge ordered an end to the deployment, but she also put her order on hold for 21 days to allow the administration time to either remove the troops or appeal.

The guard members have patrolled neighborhoods, train stations and other locations, participated in highway checkpoints and been assigned to pick up trash and guard sports events.

More than 300 West Virginia National Guard members were deployed in August. About 160 of them volunteered last week to extend their deployment until the end of the year, while the others returned home just over a week ago.

This story has been updated to correct that the Washington police official's first name is spelled Jeffery, not Jeffrey.

Associated Press journalists Konstantin Toropin, Seung Min Kim, Safiyah Riddle, Matt Brown, Mike Balsamo, Eric Tucker, Jesse Bedayn, Evan Vucci, Nathan Ellgren, John Raby, Hallie Golden, Michael R. Sisak and John Seewer contributed.

Streets are blocked after reports that two National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Anthony Peltier)

National Guard patrol on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Emergency personnel keep a presence following the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Emergency personnel gather in a cordoned off area where National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Emergency personnel gather in a cordoned off area where National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Emergency personnel gather near where National Guard soldiers appear to have been shot near the White House Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Emergency vehicles gather at a cordoned off area where National Guard soldiers appear to have been shot near the White House Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Emergency personnel cordon off an area near where National Guard soldiers appear to have been shot near the White House Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Streets are blocked after reports of two National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Streets are blocked after reports of two National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. Marshalls and National Guard troops are seen after reports of two National Guard soldiers shot near the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

National Guard patrol along the National Mall in front of the Capitol, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Before dawn in the narrow alleys of Mathare, an informal settlement in Kenya's capital, Agnes Mbesa flicks on a single bulb hanging from her tin roof. For years, the mother of three relied on smoky kerosene lamps. Now electricity lights her home and powers the small shop she runs from her veranda.

“Before the power came, we closed early because it was too dark,” Mbesa said. “Now people come even at night, and I can earn something.”

Hundreds of kilometers (miles) from Nairobi in Sori, western Kenya, fisherman Samuel Oketch tells a similar story. After a solar mini-grid reached his village, he bought a freezer to store his catch. Fish that once had to be sold quickly at low prices can now be preserved and transported to nearby towns.

“These small changes mean a lot,” Oketch said. “Electricity gives us options. My wife can now sell (fish) without being taken advantage of by brokers who had the freezers.”

Their experiences with electrification funded by philanthropic and government sources highlight how expanded energy access can transform the lives and improve livelihoods. More than 730 million people worldwide still lack access to electricity, about 600 million of them in Africa. Limited access constrains health care, education, digital connectivity and job creation.

New financing aims to accelerate progress. The European Investment Bank pledged more than $1.15 billion in March for renewable energy projects across sub-Saharan Africa, including hydropower, solar, wind and grid expansion.

“This funding is Europe’s commitment to provide cleaner, more affordable, and reliable energy for hundreds of millions of people in Africa,” said European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño.

The Rockefeller Foundation also announced in March at the Africa Energy Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, that it will invest an additional $10 million to support electrification programs in at least 15 African countries. The funding will be deployed with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet to strengthen national programs and support government reforms.

“African governments are choosing to transform their energy sectors by committing to national energy compacts and investing in African-led solutions,” said William Asiko, senior vice president at the Rockefeller Foundation.

The investments support the Mission 300 initiative led by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, which aims to connect 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa to electricity by 2030 through grid expansion and decentralized solutions such as mini-grids and off-grid solar. Across much of Africa, where national electricity grids are often unreliable, mini-grids have emerged as a key alternative. These small, community-level systems, typically powered by solar or hybrid energy, generate and distribute electricity locally.

Off-grid systems, by contrast, operate independently at the household level. These include stand-alone solar kits that provide direct access to power, helping bridge electricity gaps in remote and underserved areas.

The initiative is providing governments in Malawi and Liberia with technical assistance to support national energy plans, expand transmission networks and improve the reliability and efficiency of distribution systems. Efforts in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Senegal include local currency financing and pooled procurement support.

Andrew Herscowitz, CEO of the Mission 300 Accelerator at RF Catalytic Capital, said scaling access will require sustained financing and stronger implementation capacity, including improved monitoring and better-aligned support to accelerate connections.

“Energy access is key to unlocking human potential and economic development,” Herscowitz said.

Kenya has received funding since 2017 from the World Bank, African Development Bank and partners under Mission 300 to support its Last Mile Connectivity program, which targets households near existing transformers, particularly in rural areas and informal settlements, as it pushes toward universal electricity access by 2030. Rural access rose to about 68% in 2023 from just under 7% in 2010.

Across eastern and southern Africa, where only about 48% of the population and 26% in rural areas have access to electricity, World Bank programs aim to expand access in up to 20 countries over the next seven years through renewable energy projects.

Mbesa, the shopkeeper in Mathare, was connected to electricity in 2021 under the Last Mile Connectivity Project. The initiative provided free connections to households and small businesses located near transformers, with funders covering the standard $115 connection fee. In more remote areas like Oketch's, the project incorporated off-grid solutions, including providing mini-grids and solar systems, to reach communities beyond the national grid.

For Mbesa, the impact is already clear. The single bulb above her shop has extended her working hours and allowed her children to study at night.

“Electricity changes everything,” she said. “Once you have it, life starts moving forward.”

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

A view of electric wire poles and cables towering over the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)

A view of electric wire poles and cables towering over the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)

A view of electric wire poles and cables towering over the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)

A view of electric wire poles and cables towering over the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)

A man connects electric cables on a pole above the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)