The deranged gunman who shot two National Guard troops in a possible terror attack near the White House on Wednesday has been identified as a 29-year-old man from Afghanistan, who arrived in the United States during former President Joe Biden's chaotic evacuation in 2021.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal is believed to have been hiding nearby before suddenly stepping out around 2:15 p.m. near the Farragut West Metro Station in Northwest D.C., according to law enforcement sources. The gunman allegedly opened fire without warning, hitting a female National Guard member in the chest and then shooting her again in the head. Investigators are now treating the shooting as a possible act of terrorism.
Act of Terror
Lakanwal is believed to have entered the U.S. during the rushed 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan, which took place under Biden's Operation Allies Welcome, sources told The New York Post. The operation was aimed at helping resettle vulnerable Afghans, including people who had worked alongside American forces.
Lakanwal had reportedly been living in Bellingham, Washington.
Biden has continued to defend the chaotic withdrawal, even though it led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and paved the way for the Taliban to quickly return to power.
Lakanwal himself was shot during the exchange of gunfire and is currently being treated in a hospital, authorities said. Police have recovered a handgun they believe was used in the attack, according to CNN.
Police have not yet revealed a motive behind the attack.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters on Wednesday afternoon that the shooting appeared to be a "targeted" assault, saying the attacker appeared to specifically go after the two guardsmen. Officials have described the incident as an "ambush" that unfolded near busy Farragut Square, an area packed with shops and restaurants.
Neither President Donald Trump nor Vice President JD Vance were in Washington at the time. Trump was in Florida for the holiday, while Vance was visiting troops in Kentucky.
Trump, however, reacted sharply to news of the shooting, saying the attacker is "an animal" and should "pay a very steep price."
Thanksgiving Eve Mayhem
Following the attack, Trump ordered 500 more National Guard members to be deployed to the nation's capital. "We will never back down. We will secure our capital. We will secure our cities," Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters Wednesday. "President Trump has asked me, and I will ask the Secretary of the Army to the National Guard to add 500 additional troops, National Guardsmen to Washington DC."
"This will only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington DC safe and beautiful. The drop in crime has been historic. The increase in safety and security has been historic."
Around 2,100 National Guard members were stationed in Washington, D.C. before the attack, according to a Pentagon official who spoke with The New York Post. That total included around 900 troops from the D.C. National Guard and about 1,200 others sent in from different states.
Just last week, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration must pull the National Guard out of the city. However, the judge put that order on hold until December 11 to allow time for an appeal.
