Trump requests 500 more members of National Guard in DC after two shot by Afghan ‘alien’

Today Americans are giving thanks that two members of the National Guard were not instantly killed in a Washington, D.C., shooting incident.

Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot near the White House on Wednesday around 4:15 p.m. EST; both remain in critical condition in the hospital. The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan who came to the United States in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome. President Donald Trump called the double shooting a “heinous assault” and an “act of terror.”

The two National Guard members were patrolling near the corner of 17^th and I streets when Lakanwal “came around the corner” and “immediately started firing,” according to Metropolitan Assistant Chief Jeff Carroll, who described the attack as an “ambush.” A member of law enforcement – either a Guardsman or responding officer – opened fire on the shooter, severely wounding him. Lakanwal was shot at least four times before being tackled to the ground and restrained.

Law enforcement officers in the area were able to treat the two wounded soldiers swiftly; there is no update on their condition as of publication time.

According to Fox News, the suspect had previously collaborated with American forces in the War on Terror: “Intelligence sources told Fox News Digital that Lakanwal had a prior relationship with various entities in the U.S. government, including the CIA, due to his work as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.”