Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, suspect in White House National Guard shooting

US officials say Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who arrived in 2021, is the suspect in the shooting that injured two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House

Two National Guard members from West Virginia were critically injured after a gunman opened fire on them in an apparent “targeted shooting” near the White House on Wednesday (local time), ABC News reported.

 

The victims, a man and a woman, were taken to local hospitals for treatment. MPD Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said the unidentified gunman turned a corner, lifted his weapon and began firing at around 2:15 pm.

 

Following the shooting, US President Donald Trump’s administration ordered the deployment of 500 additional National Guard troops to Washington. A White House official confirmed the building was placed under lockdown, which was lifted at about 5 pm (local time). 

Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal and what do authorities know so far? 

According to CBS News, the suspect is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021. Federal authorities are still investigating his background and motive.

 

Lakanwal entered the country through a refugee programme for Afghans fleeing their country, according to two people familiar with the investigation, The New York Times reported. Citing local authorities, the report said he was wounded after opening fire in a crowded tourist area on the eve of Thanksgiving, appeared to have acted alone and had specifically targeted members of the West Virginia National Guard.

How did Donald Trump respond to the attack?

Donald Trump, who was in Florida for Thanksgiving, wrote on social media that the “animal” who shot the Guard members “will pay a very steep price.”

 

In an address on Wednesday, he called the attack “an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror,” adding, “It was a crime against our entire nation.”

 

He also vowed to intensify the government’s deportation efforts and signalled a review of migrants who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021. “We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan,” he said.

 

After the shooting, the Trump administration submitted an emergency request in an ongoing legal case that could require National Guard troops to leave Washington as early as December 11, after a federal judge found the president’s deployment likely unlawful. The administration asked a federal appeals court to intervene by late next week, potentially allowing the deployment to continue.

Why are National Guard troops deployed in Washington?

National Guard personnel were deployed in Washington as part of Trump’s federal takeover of the city and crime crackdown in August, ABC News reported. As of the latest update, about 2,188 Guard personnel are assigned to Washington.

 

Trump has positioned Washington as a prominent example of his decision to deploy National Guard troops—dressed in camouflage and, in some cases, armed—to patrol cities led by Democratic mayors, including Los Angeles and Memphis.

 

The deployment in the nation’s capital has been a contentious issue for months, sparking a legal dispute and broader policy debate over the Trump administration’s use of the military to address what it describes as worsening crime, the Associated Press reported.