A gunman opened fire near the White House, striking two National Guard personnel and triggering an immediate security lockdown. Emergency crews and federal officers swiftly converged on the scene, clearing the area and enforcing strict protective measures. The injured Guardsmen were rushed to a hospital, though no official update on their conditions has been provided.

The Washington D.C. Police Department announced via social media that a suspect connected to the shooting was taken into custody. Officials emphasized that the “scene has been secured” and that the investigation is ongoing in coordination with federal agencies.

Suspect Identification

Authorities confirmed that the suspect was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal following preliminary investigative steps. According to officials briefed on the inquiry, records suggest that his first documented identity aligns with that of an individual who appeared to migrate from Afghanistan to the United States in August 2021. Investigators are now working to verify whether this match is accurate and whether the suspect may have held specific grievances connected to the period of his arrival.

Trump Responds: An Inexcusable Act

President Donald Trump was at a golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, at the time of the incident. In a post on Truth Social, Trump confirmed that both wounded National Guard members were receiving hospital treatment and used forceful language to condemn the attacker. The President said the suspect had committed “an inhuman act” and would face severe consequences. U.S. President Donald Trump described the attack in Washington that left two National Guard soldiers wounded as an “act of terror.”

President Trump made a series of strong remarks regarding the suspect reportedly taken into custody. “The Department of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on earth,” Trump said in the inflammatory remarks.

“He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021 for those infamous flights that everybody was talking about,” he added, seemingly referencing Operation Allies Welcome, the U.S. initiative that helped resettle vulnerable Afghans following the military withdrawal.

Trump further urged a review of all arrivals from Afghanistan, stating that “every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden” should be examined, and emphasized that “all necessary measures” would be taken to remove individuals who “do not belong or add benefit to our country.”

White House Temporarily Sealed Off

Following the attack, all entry and exit points to the White House were shut down. Security forces expanded the perimeter, creating a protective buffer around both federal property and nearby public spaces. A large number of law enforcement personnel were deployed to the National Mall, where a helicopter landed near the Lincoln and Washington Monuments as part of the emergency response.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirmed that two National Guard members had been shot but provided no additional details. Authorities are now working to determine the attacker’s motive and whether the suspect acted alone.