WASHINGTON — Two National Guard members from West Virginia are in critical condition after a gunman opened fire on Wednesday in an apparent “targeted shooting” near the White House, officials said.
The shooting took place at Farragut Square — a tourist-heavy area located near a busy transit center and the White House.
The Department of Homeland Security has identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who came to the U.S. from Afghanistan in 2021.
FBI Director Kash Patel said during the news conference that the two guard members are in critical condition.
“To the American public and the world, please send your prayers to those brave warriors who are in critical condition and their families,” Patel said during the news conference.
The gunman approached three National Guard members who appeared not to see him until he began shooting, striking one guard member and then another, the officials said.
US law restricts firearms sales to people who aren’t citizens or legal permanent residents, and it’s unclear whether the alleged gunman could have legally bought the handgun, the officials said.
President Donald Trump called the shooting “an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror,” adding, “It was a crime against our entire nation.”
“We’re not going to put up with these kind of assaults on law and order by people who shouldn’t even be in our country,” Trump added. “We must now reexamine every single alien who’s entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a post on X that the processing of all immigration cases related to Afghan immigrants “is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.”
National Guard troops from multiple states have been in Washington, DC, for months as part of Trump’s anti-crime crackdown in the nation’s capital, which has since expanded to other cities across the country.
CNN reported last month that National Guard troops will remain mobilized in the city at least through February.
