Gunman known to Secret Service shot outside White House
L'essentiel
- A 21-year-old man, identified as Nasire Best, was shot and killed by federal agents outside the White House on Saturday after approaching a checkpoint with a pistol.
- Best was known to the Secret Service for previous attempts to access the complex and had been arrested and issued a stay-away order.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
A 21-year-old man, identified as Nasire Best, was shot and killed by federal agents outside the White House after approaching a checkpoint with a pistol. Best was known to the Secret Service for previous attempts to access the complex and had been arrested and issued a stay-away order.
A gunman who opened fire outside the White House on Saturday before he was shot by federal agents was already known to the US Secret Service, court records show.
The man, 21, was taken to a nearby hospital, before he was later pronounced dead. He had previously tried to enter the complex, according to an affidavit filed in DC superior court in 2025, following an arrest nearby.
The White House was briefly locked down shortly after 6pm on Saturday after the suspect approached a checkpoint at a gate near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, took a pistol out of a bag and fired, the Secret Service said. Officers returned fire, the agency said, striking the suspect.
A bystander was also struck in the exchange, the Secret Service said, but it was unclear whether they were struck by the suspect or shots returned from officers. No agents were injured.
Donald Trump, who was inside the White House at the time of the incident, claimed the gunman as having “a violent history” and a “possible obsession” with the White House. The US president praised the “swift and professional action” of law enforcement officials on social media.
The individual – identified in US media reports as Nasire Best – was “known to the Secret Service” for “walking around the White House complex inquiring how to gain access at various entry points” on multiple occasions last summer, according to a July 2025 court filing.
He was involuntarily committed on 26 June in 2025 for “obstructing vehicle entry” to part of the White House complex, the court documents said, and on 10 July of that year he was arrested for unlawful entry after multiple officers confronted him for ignoring warning signs and walking into a restricted area outside the White House.
Best claimed to be Jesus and said “that he wanted to get arrested”, according to the filing. A judge issued a “stay away order”, a measure ordering a defendant not to go physically near a person or area before a trial, at an initial hearing that day, barring Best from the White House area.
The New York Post reported that a bench warrant was later issued after Best failed to attend a subsequent hearing. The Washington Post reported that an unnamed law enforcement official familiar with the incident described Best as an emotionally disturbed person who was known to law enforcement.
The FBI is assisting the Secret Service and local police in the investigation.
The incident came a month after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at a Washington hotel.
À surveiller
Perspective IA — des possibilités, pas des certitudes
The FBI and Secret Service will release a detailed report on the incident.
Probable · En quelques semaines
Security protocols around the White House may be reviewed and potentially enhanced.
Probable · En quelques mois
Questions ouvertes
- Was the bystander struck by the suspect or by returning fire?
- What was the exact nature of Best's 'obsession' with the White House?
- What led to Best's failure to attend the subsequent court hearing?
- What is the FBI's current assessment of the threat landscape around the White House?
