Washington, 27 November 2025 (dpa/MIA) - US President Donald Trump says the shooting of two members of the National Guard in Washington earlier on Wednesday was an "act of terror," speaking in a brief video address.

"Two members of the National Guard serving in Washington DC were shot at point blank range in a monstrous, ambush-style attack just steps away from the White House," Trump said, speaking from Palm Beach, Florida.

"This heinous assault was an act of evil and an act of hatred and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation, it was a crime against humanity," Trump said.

The two members of the National Guard were shot near the Farragut West Metro station, not far from the White House, at about 2:15 pm (1915 GMT), local police said in a press conference about two and a half hours after the incident.

Executive Assistant Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department Jeffery Carroll said that the only suspect in the shooting had been subdued by other members of the National Guard, arrested and transported to hospital for treatment.

The US president said that "based on the best available information, the Department of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan - a hell hole on Earth."

Trump went on to blame his predecessor, Joe Biden, saying the suspect "was flown in by the Biden administration in 2021... his status was extended under legislation signed by president Biden, a disastrous president, the worst in the history of our country."

The president said that "every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden" must now be re-examined. "We must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country."

Photo: EPA