US Secret Service shoots armed man near White House, agency says

The Secret Service shot an armed man near the White House, the agency has said.

The incident happened shortly after midnight on Sunday following an "armed confrontation" with law enforcement, according to the agency.

The incident happened near the intersection of 17th Street and F Street NW - less than a five-minute walk from the White House.

Local police had reported a "suicidal individual" possibly travelling to Washington DC from Indiana, the agency said.

Secret Service officers then found the man's vehicle and spotted a person on foot who matched local police's description.

"As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm, and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel," the Secret Service said in a statement on X posted by spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.

The suspect was transported to hospital and his condition is unknown.

The Secret Service's statement said that no injuries were reported among its personnel, and that the incident was under investigation.

Donald Trump was not in the White House at the time of the incident, as he was visiting his Florida home Mar-a-Lago this weekend.

There have been a series of incidents involving armed men being shot by security officers on or near the White House grounds in recent years, including the 2016 shooting of a man who brandished a handgun at a White House security gate.

In 2023, a 20-year-old Indian immigrant unsuccessfully tried to break through the White House's protective barriers in a rented truck.

Mr Trump himself narrowly survived an assassination attempt in July, when a gunman fired at him during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wounding his ear.

A Secret Service review found that communication gaps and a lack of diligence contributed to the near-miss.

(c) Sky News 2025: US Secret Service shoots armed man near White House, agency says