A 29-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker has been identified as the suspect in an ambush-style shooting that critically injured two National Guard members near the White House, according to multiple US media reports citing law enforcement sources.
The suspect, reportedly named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is said to have entered the United States in 2021.
Police stated that the gunman approached two National Guardsmen deployed to Washington, DC from West Virginia on Wednesday and opened fire at close range. Both soldiers were taken to hospital in critical condition, while the alleged shooter was detained at the scene after being shot four times.
CBS News reported that between 10 and 15 rounds were fired during the attack. Authorities have not yet disclosed a motive.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the incident would be treated as an assault on a federal law enforcement officer, with NBC News reporting that investigators are also examining the shooting as a potential act of terrorism.
The attack comes amid heightened political debate over border security and asylum policy. President Trump has increased immigration enforcement operations and promised sweeping reforms to the asylum system, claiming it has enabled violent offenders and extremists to enter the country.
The deployment of National Guard units to cities, which the administration says is aimed at combating rising crime, has been fiercely opposed by Democrats, who have challenged the move in court.
🚨UPDATE: Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who came to US in 2021 under the Joe Biden’s administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program, ID’d as an alleged terrorist gunman in the shooting of 2 National Guard members in Washington DC.
God bless our guardsmen. pic.twitter.com/WCjmp3hWE7
— AJ Huber (@Huberton) November 27, 2025
Should of killed the scum bag Afghan.
The photo of that unclothed guy was from 2017..