A suspected gunman was killed by law enforcement officers after opening fire near the White House, the Financial Times reports.
According to the U.S. Secret Service, the incident took place on Saturday evening. A man approached a security checkpoint near the White House, pulled a weapon from his bag, and opened fire. Security personnel returned fire.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said the attacker was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
No law enforcement officers were injured, though a bystander was wounded. Authorities have not yet clarified whether the person was hit by the gunman’s fire or by return fire from police.
Journalists inside the White House complex said they heard up to 30 gunshots before Secret Service agents urgently moved them into shelter.
According to Guglielmi, Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time of the shooting and was not harmed.
The president later confirmed the gunman’s death and thanked the Secret Service and police for their “swift and professional response.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said bureau agents also arrived at the scene and are participating in the investigation.
Following the incident, police and the National Guard sealed off the area around the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House. Residents were urged to avoid the area.
Hours before the shooting, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was in the Oval Office and that an agreement on ending the war with Iran and reopening the Strait of Hormuz would be announced shortly.
The incident came less than a month after another security breach, when an armed man broke through security during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at a Washington hotel and wounded a Secret Service officer.
That incident raised new questions about the presidential security system. Since July 2024, Trump has already survived three assassination attempts.
After the latest incident, the president again voiced support for constructing a new secure complex on White House grounds. The project involves a $400 million hall on the site of the former East Wing and includes an underground bunker. Implementation has been partially halted by a court decision.
“This shows how important it is for all future presidents to create the safest and most secure facility of this kind,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Our national security demands it,” he added.