Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, has been named as the suspect, while Trump described the Washington DC shooting as an ‘act of terror.’
Law enforcement officials have identified the suspected gunman who shot two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday as an Afghan national, as Donald Trump called the incident an “act of terrorism” and repeated his attacks on immigrants and asylum seekers.
According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakhnawal is an Afghan national who entered the United States under a Biden-era policy that allowed Afghans to enter after the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.
The suspect, who is now in custody, was also shot and suffered injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The New York Times reported that Lakhnawal was released on parole to the United States through Operation Alice’s Welcome, a program launched by the Biden administration to resettle people during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan after two decades of war. According to CNN, immigration officials granted Lakhnawal asylum earlier this year.
Speaking from Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday evening, Trump called the shooting an “act of terrorism.”
“I can report tonight that based on the best information available, the Department of Homeland Security believes that the suspect in custody is a foreign national who entered our country from Afghanistan,” the president said in a short video address.
“As we grieve and mourn for those who were shot, we are filled with righteous anger and fierce determination,” Trump added. “As President of the United States, I am determined to ensure that this atrocious animal pays the greatest possible price.”
Trump also criticized his predecessor Joe Biden’s immigration policies, blaming the shootings on lax vetting of migrants from Afghanistan, a country he called “hell on earth.”
“They were brought in by the Biden administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights that everyone was talking about,” Trump said. The president’s statement did not acknowledge the vetting effort by U.S. military, intelligence, and immigration agents.
Trump concluded his remarks by saying that the attack justified reconsidering refugee and asylum status granted under previous administrations.
“We must now, under Biden, re-examine every alien who enters our country from Afghanistan, and we must take all necessary steps to deport any alien who does not belong here or does not provide any benefit to our country,” the president said. “If they cannot love our country, we do not want them.”
The shooting occurred near the Farragut West Metro station in the capital city. Two National Guard members were struck by handgun bullets and are in critical condition.
Authorities did not immediately release their names. According to NBC News, one of the shooting victims is a woman and the other is a man, and both are from West Virginia.
Jeffrey Carroll, an officer with the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, said at a press conference that the suspect “came around the corner” and “immediately began firing a gun at two National Guard members.”
Bystanders captured and shared videos showing police and National Guard members subduing the suspect and images of an officer administering CPR to a man who had been shot.
National Guard troops have been deployed across Washington since August, when the Trump administration declared a “crime emergency” and ordered them to support federal and local law enforcement.
An estimated 2,375 National Guard troops are currently active in Washington. Trump said in a speech that he had directed the newly renamed “War Department” to send 500 more Guard members to Washington following the shooting.
US District Judge Zia Cobb recently ruled that Trump’s National Guard deployment was likely illegal and should be halted, but the order will not take effect until next month. The Trump administration is appealing the decision.
