A shooting near the White House that targeted two National Guard troops on Wednesday afternoon, November 25, shook the nation's capital.
The shooting incident at the National Guard troops immediately triggered a lockdown at the White House and the Main Treasury Freedman’s Bank Building.
Soon after the incident, the White House was put on a “condition red” security status, but soon after the situation normalized, the status was changed to “condition orange.”
However, the identities of the National Guard members have not been disclosed by the officials as yet.
The main suspect, identified as a 29-year-old Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was shot and apprehended at the crime scene and is now receiving medical treatment for his injuries, as reported by theAssociated Press.
President Donald Trump said in a video message on X (formerly Twitter), shared by the White House, calling the shooter of the two West Virginia National Guard members an “animal.”
“This heinous assault was an act of evil, an act of hatred, and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation, it was a crime against humanity.”
Let’s take a closer look at the 29-year-old suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who opened fire on National Guard troops near the White House.
21-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal moved to the U.S. in 2021.
He entered the United States under the evacuation operation called “Operation Allies Welcome” during President Biden's administration.
He had allegedly overstayed his visa and was residing in the U.S. illegally, reported byFox News.
While multiple media reports pointed to Lakanwal as living in Washington state, and his last known location was revealed to be Bellingham, Washington, just before the attack.
Lakanwal’s close relative toldNBC that he had been in the Afghan Army, where he served for a decade, working with U.S. Special Forces Troops in Afghanistan, before he moved to the U.S. after the Taliban overthrew Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani.
The relative told the outlet, saying, “We were the ones that were targeted by the Taliban in Afghanistan; I cannot believe that he might do this.”
While shedding light on Lakanwal’s background, the relative added, “He (Rahmanullah Lakanwal) was raised in Khost province and has a wife and five sons.”
In August, President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to strengthen law enforcement and get tough on crime in the nation’s capital.
The Metropolitan Police Department and federal law enforcement agencies are continuing the investigation of the circumstances that led to the shooting.