The suspect in a taking pictures close to the White Home on Wednesday that critically injured two members of the West Virginia Nationwide Guard was recognized as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan nationwide. The incident was shortly dubbed an “act of terror” by US President Donald Trump.
The 2 members of the Nationwide Guard had been in Washington, D.C., and had been shot this afternoon in an space two blocks northwest of the White Home, close to a Metro station. The motive for the taking pictures is unknown presently.
Particulars on Suspect and Assault
An Govt Assistant D.C. Police Chief, Jeffrey Carroll, mentioned investigators reviewed video proof that confirmed the assailant instantly “got here across the nook” and instantly opened fireplace on the troops.
Apprehension: The 29-year-old suspect was subdued and held down by different troops close by after he was shot through the confrontation.
Accidents: The Related Press, citing nameless legislation enforcement officers, stories that Lakanwal’s gunshot accidents should not believed to be life-threatening.
Entry into the US by way of Operation Allies Welcome
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan nationwide who entered america in 2021 by way of Operation Allies Welcome, the Joe Biden administration program initiated to evacuate and resettle tens of hundreds of Afghans following the withdrawal of US forces from the nation.
Background: The Operation Allies Welcome program introduced some 76,000 folks to the US, lots of whom had labored alongside US navy and diplomatic personnel as interpreters and translators.
Navy service: A relative near Lakanwal mentioned that the suspect had served within the Afghan military for a decade, a part of that point in a base in Kandahar, the place he additionally labored with US Particular Forces troops earlier than arriving within the US in September 2021.
Political Fallout Over Vetting Course of
The incident instantly sparked political controversy, with Republicans renewing criticism of the vetting course of used for Afghans resettled beneath the Biden administration.
Trump’s Response: Talking on the White Home, President Donald Trump mentioned the suspect had flown in by way of the Biden administration’s “notorious flights” from Afghanistan, which he known as “a hellhole on Earth.”
“I can report tonight that primarily based on the perfect out there data, the Division of Homeland Safety is assured that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our nation from Afghanistan, a hellhole on earth. He was FLOWN IN by the Biden Administration in… pic.twitter.com/KjLVnwEt7f
— Trump Conflict Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 27, 2025
Program Debate: The Operation Allies Welcome program has confronted previous scrutiny from Republicans and authorities watchdogs over perceived vetting course of lapses and the tempo of its admissions. Backers argue it has supplied a lifeline to folks vulnerable to Taliban reprisals. Authorities additionally proceed to try to piece collectively Lakanwal’s full background to evaluate the motive for the assault, for the reason that suspect had beforehand been dwelling in Washington state.
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