WASHINGTON — Two West Virginia National Guard members shot Wednesday near the White House are in critical condition in a local hospital, FBI Director Kash Patel said.

The shooting appeared to be targeted at the Guard members, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said. It happened at the corner of 17th and H Streets in the northwest quadrant of the city, roughly two blocks northwest of the White House, at around 2:15 p.m.

The shooter was detained by other National Guard members who intervened after the suspect started shooting.

The 29-year-old suspect, an Afghan national, entered the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country, officials said.

The initiative brought

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