President Donald Trump on Wednesday condemned the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House as “an act of evil” and “an act of terror,” as authorities identified the suspected gunman as a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021.
The two Guard members — a man and a woman — remained in critical condition after what officials described as a targeted ambush in downtown Washington. The shooting unfolded around 2:15 p.m. near the Farragut West Metro station, when the suspect rounded a corner and opened fire on the uniformed service members without warning, according to Metropolitan Police Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll.
“It appears … to be a lone gunman,” Carroll said. Fellow National Guard personnel nearby rushed toward the gunfire and subdued the suspect, who was also wounded and transported to a hospital.
The incident briefly placed the White House on lockdown and prompted a rapid response from federal and local agencies, including the FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security.
A suspect with asylum status granted in 2025
Multiple law enforcement officials identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who arrived from Afghanistan in September 2021 and later applied for asylum. According to three officials familiar with the case, he was granted asylum in April 2025 — under the Trump administration.
Despite that timeline, Trump criticized the prior administration during a televised address, claiming the shooting underscored what he called “the single greatest national security threat facing our nation.” He said the U.S. should “reexamine every single alien from Afghanistan who has entered our country under Biden.”
Within minutes of Trump’s remarks, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that all immigration processing related to Afghan nationals was suspended indefinitely pending a review of “security and vetting protocols.”
The FBI is investigating the attack as a potential act of international terrorism, officials said, though no motive has been confirmed.
Confusion over victims’ conditions
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice initially said the Guard members had died, before later noting “conflicting information” about their conditions. Maj. Gen. Tim Seward, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, credited the “swift, courageous” actions of other troops at the scene for stopping the gunman and preventing further casualties.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the shooter “appeared to target” the Guardsmen, who were among more than 2,100 personnel deployed to the capital as part of Trump’s federal takeover of D.C. law enforcement announced in August.
Political reverberations
Trump, speaking from Florida, said the attacker “will pay a very steep price,” while praising the Guard and law enforcement as “truly great people.”
At a separate event in Kentucky, Vice President JD Vance told troops that the nation was still seeking answers.
“It’s a somber reminder that soldiers … are the sword and the shield of the United States,” he said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he would send an additional 500 National Guard personnel to Washington at Trump’s direction, calling the shooting a “cowardly, dastardly act.”
Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said he and senior enlisted leaders were traveling to Washington to meet with the deployed troops. “We are devastated by this senseless act of violence,” he said.
Federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials are expected to release more details about the suspect and the investigation on Thursday.
