Two West Virginia National Guard members who deployed to the nation’s capital were shot Wednesday afternoon just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence that the mayor described as a targeted attack.

FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said they were hospitalized in critical condition.

The rare shooting of National Guard members, on the day before Thanksgiving, comes as the presence of the troops in the nation’s capital and other cities around the country has been a flashpoint issue for months.

The deployment fueled court fights and a broader public policy debate about the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat what officials cast as an out-of-control crime problem.

A suspect who was in custody also was shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Two law enforcement officials and a person familiar with the matter said the suspect was believed to be an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in September 2021 and has been living in Washington state.

The suspect has been identified by law enforcement officials as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, but authorities were still working to fully confirm his background, they said.

The people could not discuss details of an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Hours later, in a video message, President Donald Trump called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who entered under the Biden administration.

Jeffrey Carroll, an executive assistant D.C. police chief, said investigators had no information on a motive.

Bowser said it was a "targeted shooting,”

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey initially said the troops had died, but he later walked that statement back to say his office was “receiving conflicting reports” about their condition.

The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump asked him to send the troops.