We're not going to put up with these assaults by people who shouldn't be here
In the shadow of the White House, two National Guard members were shot and critically wounded by an Afghan national who had entered the United States in 2021 and received asylum approval earlier this year. The attack near Farragut Square has become an immediate catalyst for the Trump administration's suspension of all Afghan immigration case processing, reigniting long-standing questions about the adequacy of refugee vetting during the chaotic 2021 withdrawal. The incident arrives at a moment when the very presence of National Guard troops on Washington's streets is itself under legal challenge, layering a crisis of security atop a crisis of legitimacy.
- A gunman approached three National Guard members from behind near Farragut Square and opened fire at close range, striking two before a third guardsman returned fire and wounded him.
- Both injured guardsmen remain in critical condition, and the suspect — in custody but uncooperative — raises urgent questions about how a non-citizen obtained a firearm under federal restrictions.
- President Trump publicly blamed the Biden administration for the shooter's presence in the country, and within hours the government halted all Afghan immigration case processing indefinitely.
- The attack intensifies pressure around the National Guard's contested deployment in D.C., where a federal judge last week ruled the presence illegal even as an emergency appeal winds through the courts.
- The administration is now pushing to add 500 more troops to Washington, framing the shooting as proof of necessity even as the legal ground beneath the deployment remains unstable.
Two National Guard members were shot and critically wounded Wednesday evening near Farragut Square in Washington, D.C., just blocks from the White House. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who arrived in the United States in September 2021 and received asylum approval earlier this year, opened fire on three guardsmen conducting high-visibility patrols. One of the targeted soldiers returned fire, wounding Lakanwal, who is now in custody but refusing to cooperate with investigators. Authorities are working to determine how he obtained the handgun used in the attack, a significant question given federal law prohibiting firearm sales to most non-citizens.
Surveillance footage from a nearby Metro station captured the attack in stark detail: Lakanwal approaching the group unseen, firing at close range, pursuing a second guardsman who sought cover behind a bus shelter, and standing over his first victim in an apparent attempt to fire again before being struck himself.
The shooting landed immediately in the center of the immigration debate. Speaking from Mar-a-Lago, President Trump blamed the Biden administration for Lakanwal's entry and called for a sweeping review of every Afghan immigrant admitted under his predecessor. Hours later, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced an indefinite halt to all Afghan immigration case processing pending a security review — accelerating a re-vetting effort the administration had already begun.
The attack also deepens the legal and political turbulence surrounding the National Guard's presence in the capital. More than 2,000 troops have been stationed in Washington since August as part of Trump's anti-crime initiative, but a federal judge ruled last week that the deployment was unlawful. The administration filed an appeal Tuesday and is now seeking an emergency stay. Trump used the shooting to renew his call for 500 additional troops, even as the courts have yet to resolve whether those already there may legally remain.
Two National Guard members lay in critical condition Wednesday night after being shot near the White House in downtown Washington. The suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who arrived in the United States in 2021, opened fire on the guardsmen as they conducted high-visibility patrols near Farragut Square, a tourist-heavy area blocks from the executive mansion. He is now in custody, also wounded after one of the three guardsmen he targeted returned fire.
Lakanwal came to the country in September 2021 and applied for asylum in 2024, an application approved by the Trump administration earlier this year. Law enforcement officials said he had no identification on him when arrested and is not cooperating with investigators. The handgun used in the attack has been recovered, though authorities are still determining how and when he obtained it—a significant question given federal law restricts firearm sales to non-citizens and those without legal permanent resident status.
Video from the nearby Metro station captured the moment Lakanwal approached three National Guard members who did not see him until he began firing. He struck one guardsman at close range, then turned toward a second who attempted to take cover behind a bus shelter. The third guardsman, witnessing the attack, returned fire at the shooter. Lakanwal then stood over his first victim and appeared to attempt another shot before being hit himself. A woman near the scene told investigators she heard the gunshots and then saw people administering CPR to those on the ground.
The shooting has immediately become a flashpoint in the immigration debate. President Trump, speaking from Mar-a-Lago late Wednesday, identified Lakanwal as an Afghan national and blamed the Biden administration for his entry into the country. "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 said, calling for a comprehensive reexamination of every Afghan immigrant admitted under his predecessor. Following his remarks, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that all immigration cases related to Afghan nationals are now halted indefinitely pending a review of security and vetting protocols.
The Trump administration was already in the process of re-interviewing Afghan migrants admitted during the previous administration, arguing that insufficient vetting had occurred. The shooting has accelerated that effort. Trump also reiterated his request to deploy 500 additional National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., a request that comes as the administration fights a legal challenge to the Guard's current presence in the capital. Last week, a federal judge ruled that the deployment was illegal, though she did not immediately order the troops to leave, allowing time for an appeal—which the administration filed Tuesday and is now seeking an emergency stay on.
National Guard troops from multiple states have been stationed in Washington since August as part of Trump's anti-crime initiative, with more than 2,000 troops authorized to conduct law enforcement activities on any given day. The troops were expected to remain through at least February. The shooting of two of those guardsmen, in the shadow of the White House itself, underscores the stakes of that deployment even as its legality remains contested in court.
Citas Notables
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.— President Donald Trump
Soldiers are the sword and the shield of the United States of America.— Vice President JD Vance
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does it matter that he arrived in 2021 specifically, rather than some other year?
Because it anchors the story to the Biden administration's handling of Afghan evacuations after the withdrawal from Kabul. That's the political fault line the shooting has opened up.
The source says he applied for asylum in 2024 but was approved by Trump's team. That's an odd detail—why include it?
Because it complicates the blame. Trump can't simply say Biden let a dangerous person in; Trump's own administration approved the asylum claim. It's the kind of fact that gets buried in the noise but matters for understanding what actually happened.
What strikes you most about the video evidence?
That the guardsmen didn't see him coming. They were doing patrols, visible, routine—and he approached them deliberately. It wasn't random. That's what makes it a targeted shooting rather than a street crime.
The suspect isn't cooperating. Does that tell us anything?
It means we don't know his motive yet. Was it ideological? Personal? Opportunistic? Right now, the story is being written by politicians before investigators have finished their work.
Why is the handgun question important?
Because if he obtained it illegally, it raises questions about enforcement. If he obtained it legally, it raises questions about the law itself—how someone without citizenship status got a gun in the first place.
What happens next?
The court case over the Guard's deployment continues. The immigration review expands. And two guardsmen fight for their lives while the country argues about what their shooting means.