Washington, 3 December 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The sole suspect in the shooting of two members of the National Guard in Washington last week has been charged with murder and assault, US prosecutors said on Tuesday.

On November 26, a 20-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man serving in the West Virginia National Guard were shot while on patrol near Washington's Farragut West Metro Station, not far from the White House. The woman died of her injuries the next day, while the man was seriously injured.

A judge in Washington on Tuesday found "probable cause" that the 29-year-old suspected shooter "committed the offenses of first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence," the US Attorney's Office in Washington said in a statement.

The judge ordered the suspect, who was injured during the shooting, to be held without bond pending a preliminary hearing.

US media reported that he pleaded not guilty as he appeared in court virtually from hospital.

The suspect is an Afghan national who entered the US in 2021 and had been living in the north-western state of Washington with his family.

Prosecutors said he "opened fire on two National Guard members without provocation. Fellow guardsmen at the scene responded immediately to engage and subdue the suspect."

US Attorney General Pam Bondi had announced that she would seek the death penalty for the man.

The motive for the attack remains unknown.

US media have reported that the suspect had mental health issues. These are said to be attributable to combat in Afghanistan, where he was a member of an Afghan special forces unit supported by the US foreign intelligence service, the CIA.

According to the New York Times, representatives of the ruling Islamist Taliban in Afghanistan, as well as human rights groups, described this unit as a "death squad" responsible for extrajudicial executions and abductions, indiscriminate airstrikes and attacks on medical facilities.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that the suspect had been working in Kandahar for partner organizations of the US military there, and had also worked for the US government and the CIA.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the man entered the US in 2021 through the "Operation Allies Welcome" admission programme.

Some 76,000 Afghans were brought to the US under the initiative, which came as US troops in August 2021 withdrew from the country after 20 years.

Following the incident, the administration of US President Donald Trump suspended all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that all asylum decisions would be suspended for the time being.

The US State Department also announced that visas would no longer be issued to individuals travelling on Afghan passports. Human rights activists warned that the attack would be exploited for political purposes.

Photo: MIA archive