Afghan National Identified as Suspected Shooter in White House Ambush
- Two National Guard troops were critically wounded in a shooting just blocks from the White House
- Officials identified Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal as the suspected gunman, who was later subdued and taken into custody
- Authorities said the attack appeared to be an ambush carried out by a lone shooter
An Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was identified as the suspected shooter in an ambush attack that left two National Guard troops critically wounded just blocks from the White House on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.
Officials said the 29‑year‑old suspect was shot by another Guard member before being taken into custody. He is currently hospitalised.
Source: Getty Images
Suspect entered U.S. in 2021
Law enforcement sources told CBS News that Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated on X that he was paroled into the country on September 8, 2021, under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden‑era programme designed for Afghan nationals.
President Trump described him as “a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on Earth,” in a video message late Wednesday. He added that the suspect’s status was extended “under legislation signed by President Biden.”
A Department of Homeland Security official explained that Lakanwal was paroled on humanitarian grounds following the Taliban takeover in August 2021.
He later applied for asylum in 2024, which was granted in 2025, though his green card request remains pending.
Immigration background of Afghan nationals
Officials noted that many Afghan nationals admitted in 2021 received special immigrant visas for working alongside the U.S. military during its 20‑year war.
Others were granted temporary humanitarian parole. More than 8,000 Afghans were also given deportation relief under temporary protected status, which President Biden extended in 2023 but President Trump ended earlier this year.
Suspect not cooperating with authorities
Jeff Carroll, executive assistant chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, told reporters that the suspect was subdued at the scene by National Guard members and law enforcement officers.
Law enforcement sources said Lakanwal is not cooperating with investigators at this time.
Police describe “lone gunman” ambush
Carroll reported that the suspect appeared to be “a lone gunman that raised the firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard” as they patrolled near a downtown mass transit station.
Sources familiar with the investigation said Lakanwal initially had four rounds in his handgun.
The first victim, a female Guard member, was struck immediately and collapsed, sustaining at least two gunshot wounds. The suspect then took her weapon and used it to shoot a second Guard member. A third Guard member returned fire, ending the attack.
Source: Twitter
Guard members in critical condition
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the two wounded Guard members, both from the West Virginia National Guard, remain in critical condition.
Carroll said the troops were on “high visibility patrols” as part of a monthslong deployment ordered by President Trump, involving National Guard units from D.C. and several states.
US secret service shot an armed man near White House
Legit.ng earlier reported that a gunman was shot by Secret Service members after being spotted with a firearm just outside the White House at midnight on March 8.
The armed man, from Indiana, parked his vehicle on 17th and G Streets, close to the President's residence, and was walking around the streets with a gun.
According to Sun UK, Secret Service agents revealed that the shooter had been suicidal before making the journey from his home state to the Capitol on Saturday.
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Source: Legit.ng
