Authorities say two West Virginia National Guard members were critically injured Wednesday when a shooter opened fire just blocks from the White House.
Multiple law-enforcement officials identified the suspected gunman as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national.
Sought asylum in 2024
According to sources who spoke with ABC News, Lakanwal arrived in the United States from Afghanistan in September 2021. He later sought asylum in 2024 and was approved in April 2025, during the Trump administration.
Several officials told ABC News the FBI is examining whether the shooting may have been inspired by an international terrorist group, though no motive has been confirmed.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed the two Guard members were in critical condition following the afternoon ambush.
Although West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey initially announced the troops had died, he later retracted the statement, citing “conflicting reports.”
Trump’s first words
President Donald Trump condemned the attack as “an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror,” calling it “a crime against our entire nation.”
He also referenced Department of Homeland Security information, saying the suspect entered the U.S. under President Biden, and asserted that the shooting “underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation.”
Despite Trump not naming the suspect publicly, multiple law-enforcement officials confirmed to ABC News that the man in custody is Lakanwal.
He was also shot during the incident, though officials say his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Metropolitan Police Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said the attack appeared to be a targeted ambush: “It appears … to be a lone gunman that raised a firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard.” Other Guard personnel nearby managed to subdue the shooter after he fell to the ground.
The White House in lockdown
Mayor Bowser stated the gunman “appeared to target” the Guardsmen. The White House briefly went into lockdown as agencies including the FBI, ATF, DHS, and U.S. Marshals responded.
Trump posted online: “The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price.”
Vice President JD Vance, speaking separately to troops at Fort Campbell, said, “We’re still learning everything. We still don’t know the motive.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the shooting as a “cowardly, dastardly act” and confirmed Trump ordered an additional 500 Guard troops to Washington.
National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Steven Nordhaus, traveling to D.C. after the incident, said in a video message, “We are devastated by this senseless act of violence.”
