Related videos:
The president Donald Trump reacted this Sunday through his network Truth Social following the shooting of an armed man near the gates of the White House, describing the suspect as someone with "a history of violence and a possible obsession" with the presidential building.
The incident occurred around 6:00 p.m. on Saturday at the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington D.C., when the suspect opened fire at a security perimeter checkpoint.
Secret Service agents responded to the attack and shot the man following an exchange of gunfire. No agents were injured, although a civilian was hit during the shooting.
The suspect, a 21-year-old already known to the Secret Service, was identified as Nasire Best, and had already been arrested the day before after attempting to breach a security checkpoint near the White House. He appeared in several judicial records.
Additionally, in June of last year, he was admitted to a psychiatric facility after being involved in another altercation in the area, where he claimed to be Jesus Christ.
Trump posted his message after midnight, thanking the "quick and professional action" of the officers.
"The armed man died after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents near the gates of the White House," the president wrote.
The president also linked the incident to the shooting that took place during the Correspondents' Dinner on April 25, noting that the new incident occurs "one month after" that attack.
On that occasion, Cole Tomas Allen, 31 years old, fired between five and eight times at the entrance of the Washington Hilton, injuring a Secret Service agent in the chest, whose ballistic vest protected him. Allen was charged with attempted murder of the president and pleaded not guilty on May 11.
Before that incident, on February 22, 2026, the Secret Service shot and killed Austin Tucker Martin, also 21 years old, after he unlawfully entered the perimeter of Mar-a-Lago with a weapon and a canister of fuel.
Trump took advantage of the new incident to reiterate his defense of the project to build a new presidential space in Washington D.C., described as "the safest of its kind ever built," with an estimated cost of 400 million dollars financed by private donors.
The president has described this structure as a building that descends six floors underground, with capabilities for defense against drones and other advanced security systems. The Fine Arts Commission approved the design in February, and the National Capital Planning Commission endorsed it on April 2.
"This event demonstrates the importance of ensuring that all future presidents have access to what will be the safest space of its kind ever constructed in Washington, D.C. Our country's national security demands it!" Trump concluded in his post.
Filed under: