📢 TOP STORY: AG Pam Bondi’s uncompromising stance on pursuing the death penalty for the Afghan national accused in the DC ambush is stirring intense national reaction ⚡ . NQ

An Afghan national is in custody, accused of opening fire on two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House in a brazen daylight attack on the eve of Thanksgiving.

The shooting has left both soldiers fighting for their lives and thrust the presence of military troops in the capital further into the center of a national political firestorm.

Police swarmed the intersection of 17th and I Street NW shortly after 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, locking down the area as paramedics rushed the wounded men to the hospital.

FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed the soldiers remain in critical condition, with Patel classifying the incident as a targeted assault on federal law enforcement.

Confusion and Surgery Updates

In the chaos following the attack, reports on the soldiers’ survival were contradictory. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey initially announced the troops had died but later walked back the statement, citing “conflicting reports.”

On Thursday morning, Attorney General Pam Bondi offered an update during an appearance on Fox News. She declined to go into specifics about their condition but confirmed they had “come through surgery.”

Bondi made it clear that the ultimate charges against the suspect hinge on whether the soldiers survive, issuing a stark warning regarding the potential consequences.

“If something happens, I will tell you right now. I will tell you early,” Bondi said. “We will do everything in our power to seek the death penalty against that monster.”

A ‘Cold-Blooded’ Attack

While motives are still being investigated, the nature of the assault has drawn sharp reaction. Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume, appearing on “Special Report with Bret Baier,” said early witness accounts suggested the shooter shouted “Allahu Akbar”—a phrase often associated with extremist violence.

“If it turns out to be an act of terror, that puts it in a different category for sure,” Hume said, describing the ambush as “about as cold-blooded an attempted murder as we could imagine.”