Authorities have detained an Afghan national in connection with the ambush shooting of two West Virginia National Guard soldiers near the White House in Washington, D.C., which is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the Nov. 26 attack left two National Guard members in critical condition.
The suspect was shot dead shortly after the attack, described by Metropolitan Police Chief of Staff Jeffrey Carroll as a “lone gunman”. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the attack a “targeted shooting.”
The suspect’s identity has not been released by law enforcement officials.
President Donald Trump said in a speech in Palm Beach, Florida, that the Department of Homeland Security believes the suspect entered the United States from Afghanistan in 2021, but has not identified the suspect.
Reuters, citing anonymous Justice Department officials, said investigators have identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Rakanwar, 29, an Afghan from Washington state.
Lakhanwal came to the United States in 2021 under a special visa program for Afghans who supported the United States during the Afghanistan war and were vulnerable to retaliation from the ruling Taliban after the U.S. withdrawal, officials told Reuters. However, Lakhanwal has overstayed his visa and is in the country illegally, officials said.
In a post on X, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the suspect entered the country on September 8, 2021 under “Operation Welcome Allies,” but did not name the suspect and said, “He should starve for the glory he so craves.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the investigation, said in an email that it had been asked by USA TODAY to confirm the suspect’s identity, but “has nothing further to add.”
The attack occurred outside a subway station in the center of the capital, and the White House and other government buildings were placed on lockdown after gunfire. President Donald Trump, who was at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, at the time of the shooting, said in a social media post that the suspect was an “animal” and would pay a “huge price.”
Reuters reported that the attack was being investigated as an act of terrorism, citing anonymous sources. President Trump called the assault an “act of terrorism” in a speech.
Here’s what we know so far about the suspect in the Washington DC shootings.
What we know about the suspect in the DC shooting
The suspect was apprehended by other troopers in the area, Carroll said.
“They heard the gunshots and were actually able to intervene and after the suspect was shot to the ground, they were able to kind of detain the suspect until law enforcement arrived on the scene,” Carroll said.
The suspect was shot during the interaction and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, police said.
“There are no other suspects at this time,” Carroll said.
Patel said at a news conference that the FBI is working with Washington, D.C. police, the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies in the investigation. “We brought together the full force of federal, state and local law enforcement,” he said.
President Trump says US needs to re-investigate ‘foreign nationals’ from Afghanistan
President Trump called Afghanistan a “hellhole on Earth” and said the suspect was “brought in on a plane by the Biden administration in September 2021.” He also slammed Biden, calling him “the most disastrous president in our country’s history.”
He also claimed that the Biden administration had allowed “20 million unidentified and unvetted foreign nationals” into the country, and said the United States “must re-examine every foreign national who entered our country from Afghanistan under the Biden administration.” Trump added that his administration must take “all necessary steps” to remove immigrants from “countries that don’t belong here or that have an interest in our country.”
“If they don’t love our country, we don’t want them,” Trump said.
This is a developing story
