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A man identified by officials as Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal critically wounded two National Guard members near the White House, NBC News reports, prompting political fallout and a federal review of Afghan immigration vetting.
A shooting steps from the White House left two National Guard members critically wounded on Wednesday, prompting a rapid federal response and raising questions about the background of the suspected gunman.
Authorities say the attacker was also injured during the incident and remains hospitalized. Officials have described the shooting as targeted.
Suspect identified
According to NBC News, four senior law enforcement officials identified the suspect as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who served for a decade in the Afghan army.
Investigators say he opened fire at around 2:15 p.m. near the White House, striking two Guard members on patrol before being shot himself.
A relative told NBC News that Lakanwal served alongside U.S. Special Forces in Kandahar and arrived in the United States in September 2021.
“I cannot believe it that he might do this,” the relative said, adding that both men were once targeted by the Taliban.
Life in the U.S.
The relative said Lakanwal grew up in Khost province and was living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children. He had most recently been working for Amazon and Amazon Flex, though the family had not been in contact for several months.
“I don’t know what happened,” the relative said. “I need your help to know why this happened.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X that Lakanwal had been admitted under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden-era program established to resettle Afghans who had worked with U.S. forces, notes NBC News
Political reactions
President Donald Trump said he was “determined” that the shooter “pays the steepest possible price,” and called for a review of all Afghans who entered the country during the Biden administration.
He also said the suspect’s permission to remain in the U.S. had been extended under Biden-era legislation.
Senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that the suspect used a handgun in the attack, though no further details about the weapon have been released.
Community response
Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac, cautioned against broad conclusions, saying Afghan allies undergo extensive vetting and that “this individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community.”
Late Wednesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that immigration processing related to Afghan nationals is paused indefinitely pending a review of vetting procedures.
