Donald Trump
By Ab Susan
The shooting happened Wednesday afternoon just steps from the White House, where two National Guard members on a “high‑visibility patrol” were ambushed and critically wounded; the suspect was also shot during the confrontation and taken to a hospital .
Authorities quickly identified the gunman as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29‑year‑old Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome program and was later granted asylum in 2025 .
President Donald Trump, vacationing in Florida, hit the airwaves with a Truth Social post calling the shooter an “animal” and promising the suspect would “pay a very steep price,” while also announcing he had ordered an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington .
The deployment adds to the roughly 2,000 Guard members already in the capital, a move that has sparked legal battles with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who says the troops were deployed without her approval and has challenged the action in court .
The FBI’s joint terrorism task force is now digging into the motive, treating the attack as a possible act of terrorism, while the Department of Homeland Security confirms Lakanwal’s immigration status and says processing of Afghan immigration requests has been paused pending review
Mayor Bowser described the incident as a “targeted” attack, and Vice President JD Vance echoed Trump’s hard‑line stance, calling for a tougher immigration crackdown; the two wounded guardsmen remain in critical condition as the investigation continues .
