2 guards killed in Sudan presidential palace shooting

Shooting occurred at the Sudanese presidential palace on Saturday when an armed person crossed the palace security barrier and opened fire on the guards, killing two of them before a guard took him down.
"An armed person attacked the gate of the Republican Palace. He did not respond to the call to stop and crossed the security barrier and shot one of the guards," according to a statement issued by the Sudanese Presidency on Saturday.
"The attacker forced the guards to use force and shoot him dead. Two guards were killed in the attack," it added.
The statement further indicated that the attacker could be mad, saying that "information indicated that the behavior of the attacker indicates that his condition is not normal," and an investigation over the shooting is now underway.
A Xinhua correspondent saw a number of soldiers closing the Nile Avenue which runs in front of the Republican Palace.
According to the Sudanese Media Center report, a young man, probably mad, was killed after he attacked the guards at one of the gates of the Republican Palace.
The report added that the young man was carrying a sword where he stabbed one of the guards, took his gun and opened fire heavily, shooting the same guard and killing his colleague before the other guards shot him dead, the report said.
It added that two guards were rushed to the hospital, one of them was in a serious condition.
The Sudanese presidential palace is located in central Khartoum, on the south bank of the Nile River, and is heavily guarded.