Nasire Best identified as White House shooter: What we know about the man who believed he was 'Jesus'
White House shooting: The suspect allegedly opened fire at a security booth outside the White House, where US Secret Service officers were stationed.
The gunman who opened fire at the Secret Service checkpoint outside the White House on Saturday evening (US local time) has been identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best from Maryland, according to the New York Post report. Best, who allegedly believed he was Jesus Christ, fired nearly 30 gunshots near the White House complex at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, close to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Who was Nasire Best?
While the motive behind the attack has not yet been officially confirmed, Best was believed to be a mentally disturbed individual who was already known to the US Secret Service for repeatedly loitering around security checkpoints near the White House and for allegedly violating an earlier court order barring him from the area.
Best had previously been involuntarily committed on June 26, 2025, after allegedly obstructing vehicular traffic near 15th Street and E Street NW in Washington.
He was arrested again on July 10, 2025, on charges of unlawful entry after allegedly bypassing a restricted White House pedestrian control point by walking through an exit turnstile lane.
Court records from that incident stated that during detention by DC police and Secret Service personnel, Best allegedly made erratic statements, including claiming that he was "Jesus Christ" and saying he "wanted to get arrested."
Authorities have not indicated whether the latest shooting incident had any political motive. However, leaders from across the political spectrum condemned political violence following the incident, which marks yet another security scare involving gunfire near US President Donald Trump in recent weeks.
White House shooting
Multiple gunshots were reportedly heard outside the White House, triggering a massive security response as police officers and federal agents rushed to the area surrounding the presidential complex. President Donald Trump was reportedly inside the White House at the time of the incident.
A gunman has died after being shot, the agency said in a statement provided to US media.
A bystander was also shot during the exchange of fire, the agency said, without providing the victim's condition. After the gunman opened fire on agents at a security checkpoint near the White House, "Secret Service police officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died," the statement said.
The US Secret Service said in a statement late Saturday that, according to a preliminary investigation, the person approached a checkpoint shortly after 6 pm ET, "removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers."
"Shortly after 6 PM Saturday, an individual in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing. Secret Service Police returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. During the shooting, one bystander was also struck by gunfire. The President was in the White House during the incident," the US Secret Service said.
Also Read: Multiple gunshots fired near White House while President Trump was inside; suspect killed
Also Read: Trump shifts tone on Iran, says ceasefire understanding 'largely negotiated'