Minutes of terror at the White House, where Donald Trump spent the entire day working with his closest advisers on the Iran deal. A gunman opened fire on Secret Service agents at one of the checkpoints near the White House perimeter and was hit. The attacker died shortly afterward in the hospital from his injuries. A person who happened to be nearby was also injured in the shooting and is now hospitalized in serious condition.
The shooter, 21-year-old Nasir Best, was known to Secret Service agents, with whom he had clashed on two previous occasions, once while attempting to enter the White House. The alarm was raised around 6:10 p.m. Some journalists were reporting live from the White House gardens when dozens of gunshots were heard. A lockdown was immediately implemented, and all reporters were ordered into the briefing room for cover. Secret Service agents within the White House perimeter were immediately mobilized. The FBI also responded immediately: "We are on site and offering assistance," said FBI Director Kash Patel. According to media reports, the man who opened fire had mental health issues and was also known to the Washington police.
Police recovered the weapon, a revolver, used by the attacker. In June 2025, Nasir Best blocked an entrance to the White House. After claiming to be "God," he was stopped by the Secret Service and admitted to the Washington Psychiatric Institute for a psychiatric evaluation, a source said. The following month, in July 2025, the Secret Service arrested Best again after he attempted to enter a driveway of the White House complex, the source added. A judge issued an order requiring him to stay away from the White House. During their investigation into last year's incidents, investigators discovered that Best had posted several statements on social media, including that he was "the real" Osama bin Laden, and at least one post expressing a desire to harm Trump. However, according to a law enforcement source, police had never seen the suspect behave violently or brandish a weapon.
The gunfire has reignited fears of attacks against Trump following the incident a few weeks ago at the Correspondents' Dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Washington.
(Unioneonline)