Shooting in front of the White House, one dead and one wounded

Secret Service agents protecting US President Donald Trump opened fire at a person near the White House on Saturday, killing him. According to reports by security forces, around 6pm a man allegedly approached a check point and 'pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing at the agents guarding it'. The officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died.

A bystander was also hit in the clash and is in critical condition in hospital. A law enforcement official said it was unclear whether the person was injured by the first shots fired by the suspect or by those later fired by the officers. The Secret Service said that none of its agents were injured and that President Donald Trump - who was inside the White House at the time of the incident - was 'not involved'.

The White House assailant's name was Nasir Best, he was 21 years old and suffered from mental disorders. The man was known to the Secret Service and in approaching the Secret Service checkpoint he violated a previous court order to stay away from the White House. He had dealt twice in the past with the security apparatus protecting the president, but had never brandished weapons in the vicinity of his official residence.

"We thank our extraordinary Secret Service and security forces for their swift and professional intervention this evening against a gunman near the White House who had a history of violence and a possible obsession with our country's most sacred building," Trump wrote on his Truth social.

Saturday's shooting comes less than a month after the president's most recent assassination attempt on 25 April while attending the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner at the Washington Hilton. Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California, recently pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges against Trump and remains in custody.