FBI probes gunman's motive in ambush shooting of Guardsmen near White House

27/11/2025 17:15

Investigators led by the FBI's joint terrorism task force sought clues on Thursday to what drove an Afghan immigrant to open fire on two National Guard soldiers mere blocks from the White House in what officials called an "ambush" attack on Thanksgiving eve.



The two soldiers, part of a militarized law enforcement mission ordered by President Donald Trump months ago and challenged in court by officials of the District of Columbia, were hospitalized in critical condition.



The suspect, who was wounded in an exchange of gunfire before he was arrested, was identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national.



Trump, who was at his resort in Florida at the time of the attack, released a prerecorded video statement late on Wednesday calling the shooting "an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror." He said his administration would "re-examine" all Afghans who came to the U.S. during Joe Biden's presidency.



According to the DHS, Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden-era program to resettle thousands of Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the Afghanistan war and feared reprisals from Taliban forces who seized control of their homeland after the U.S. withdrawal.