Afghan Immigrant Opens Fire on National Guard Soldiers Near White House
Investigators led by the FBI’s joint terrorism task force worked on Thursday to understand why an Afghan immigrant targeted two National Guard soldiers just blocks from the White House in what officials described as an «ambush» attack on the eve of Thanksgiving.
The soldiers, deployed as part of a militarised law enforcement operation ordered by President Donald Trump, remain in critical condition. The suspect, identified by the Department of Homeland Security as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was wounded during an exchange of gunfire before being taken into custody. Lakanwal, an Afghan national, had no known criminal record and resided in Washington state.
Trump, who was at his Florida resort at the time, released a prerecorded statement describing the shooting as «an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror.» He said his administration would review the status of Afghans who entered the US under Joe Biden’s presidency.
Halt visa processing
Following the attack, US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would pause all immigration processing for Afghan nationals indefinitely to review security and vetting procedures. Lakanwal entered the US in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a programme resettling Afghans who assisted the US in Afghanistan and feared Taliban reprisals.
NBC News reported that Lakanwal had served ten years in the Afghan army, partly alongside US Special Forces in Kandahar, and most recently worked for Amazon. DHS did not provide further details of his immigration record, but a Trump administration official said he had applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved in April 2025.
The shooting occurred outside a subway station in a busy commercial area. Secret Service agents briefly placed the White House under lockdown. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser called the incident a «targeted shooting,» while police said the assailant appeared to act alone. The soldiers, members of the West Virginia National Guard, were on patrol when Lakanwal opened fire.
More troops
In response, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump requested an additional 500 National Guard troops to join over 2,000 already deployed in the capital. Vice President JD Vance suggested the shooting justified the administration’s immigration policies, stating that the US must «redouble efforts to deport people with no right to be in our country.» Critics argue the policy has been overly harsh, affecting legal immigrants as well as those without a criminal history.
The attack came just days after a federal judge temporarily blocked National Guard troops from performing law enforcement duties in the district without the mayor’s approval, though the ruling was delayed to allow an appeal. Trump has previously deployed troops in several Democratic-led cities, claiming a need to combat crime, a move opposed by local leaders as politically motivated.
