UNITED STATES: Two US National Guard soldiers were critically injured on Wednesday after being shot in a bold daytime attack just a few blocks from the White House. US President Donald Trump denounced the incident as an “act of terror”.
Calling the shooting “an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror,” Trump said it was “a crime against our entire nation.” He confirmed that the suspect taken into custody was “a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan.”
Trump said the man had arrived in the United States in 2021 “on those infamous flights,” referring to the evacuations of Afghans after the Taliban took control following the US withdrawal. He added: “We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan” under former president Joe Biden.
“We must take all necessary measures to endure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here, or add benefit to our country if they can’t love our country, we don’t want them.”
Shortly after, US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it had halted all immigration processing related to Afghan nationals indefinitely, saying: “The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
‘Targeted shooting’
Trump was in Florida at the time, but the shooting prompted a lockdown at the White House as federal and city law-enforcement agencies descended on the area. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser described it as “a targeted shooting” by a lone attacker, noting “That individual has been taken into custody.”
The attack occurred at about 2:15 pm when the two soldiers one male, one female were on a “high-visibility patrol”. DC Police Executive Assistant Chief Jeffrey Carroll said the shooter came around a corner, raised a weapon, and “ambushed these members of the National Guard” without warning.
Both were hit multiple times and taken to trauma centres in critical condition. The suspect was also wounded, and investigators are still determining whose gunfire struck him. Officials confirmed there were no additional suspects or active threats.
By evening, law-enforcement sources told several US outlets that the FBI believed it had identified the suspect. Fingerprints taken at the hospital initially matched a man from Washington state who had immigrated from Afghanistan in August 2021. The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, identified him as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, though authorities did not publicly confirm the name.
Senior counterterrorism officials told ABC News that the FBI was investigating the shooting as a possible act of international terrorism and examining whether a foreign militant group might have influenced it. Officials emphasised that no motive had yet been determined.
Trump was the first to publicly disclose the incident, writing online that “the animal that shot the two National Guardsmen” was severely wounded and would “pay a very steep price”. He praised the Guard and federal agencies as “truly great people”.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump ordered an additional 500 National Guard troops into Washington “immediately,” stating: “This happened just steps away from the White House. It will not stand.”
A brief White House lockdown was imposed, though Trump was away at the time. “The president has been briefed,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Confusion spread after West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey issued then withdrew a statement saying the two soldiers had died. His office later said the claim came from “early and conflicting reports.”
Unease within Muslim communities
The attack created anxiety in Muslim communities after NBC News reported the suspect was “initially identified as an Afghan national” and that the FBI was treating the case as potential terrorism.
“We hope this report is incorrect,” a Muslim political commentator told Dawn. “If it turns out to be true, it may trigger a strong backlash against Muslim communities across the United States.”
Civil-rights groups urged avoiding speculation until authorities confirmed details. Officials echoed that warning, with one federal source saying, “The nature of the investigation may change as more information emerges,” noting the FBI had made no final determination.
National Guard units from several Republican-led states including West Virginia have been stationed in Washington since August under a mission Trump expanded to combat street crime and support immigration enforcement. The soldiers shot on Wednesday were part of that deployment.
