Afghan man is suspect in shooting near White House

The suspect in a shooting near the White House on Wednesday has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national admitted to the U.S. under a Biden-era program that allowed Afghans who aided the U.S. military to enter the country

Lakanwal allegedly attacked two members of the West Virginia National Guard just two blocks from the White House. He was shot during the incident and is now in critical condition, along with the two guardsmen he reportedly targeted.

Jeffrey Carrol, executive assistant chief of the Washington D.C. police, described the incident as an ambush. “The attacker came around the corner and immediately started firing a firearm,” he said. Local media reported that other guardsmen responded quickly, though it is not yet confirmed who fired the shots that hit Lakanwal.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the attack appeared to be “targeted,” but it has not been confirmed whether Lakanwal had additional targets.

President Donald Trump criticized Lakanwal sharply, calling him “an animal” and a “foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on earth.” Trump labeled the attack “heinous” and blamed the Biden administration’s policy on Afghan admissions for the incident, calling for all Afghans admitted under the program to be “reexamined” and for measures to remove those who do not “add benefit to our country.”

President Joe Biden has also condemned the attack, saying, “Violence of any kind is unacceptable,” and offered prayers for the injured service members and their families.

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