The suspected gunman accused of shooting two National Guard members blocks from the White House the day before Thanksgiving is 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, three law enforcement sources confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Lakanwal, an illegal migrant who entered the U.S. after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, was granted humanitarian parole per DHS sources.
Authorities are investigating the shooting as a possible act of international terrorism.
FBI officials confirmed the two West Virginia National Guardsmen remain in critical condition.
In an online address to the nation late Wednesday, President Donald Trump called the shooting a “savage attack” and described how “one National Guard in DC was shot at point-blank range in a monstrous ambush-style attack just steps away from the White House.”
2 NATIONAL GUARDSMEN CRITICALLY WOUNDED IN ‘TARGETED SHOOTING’ BLOCKS FROM WHITE HOUSE
Trump added that the “heinous assault” was an “act of evil and act of hatred and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity.”
“The hearts of all Americans tonight are with those two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families,” he added. “The love of our entire country is pouring out for them, and we are lifting them up in our prayers as we are filled with anguish and grief for those who were shot, we’re also filled with righteous anger and ferocious resolve. As President of the United States, I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price.”
“This is a targeted shooting,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser explained during a news conference Wednesday afternoon following the shooting. “One individual appeared to target these guardsmen. That individual has been taken into custody.”
Metropolitan Police Department Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll also explained how the suspect had come around a corner, raised his arm with a firearm, and “discharged it at the National Guard members.”
“They were able to, after some back and forth, able to subdue the individual and bring them into custody within moments,” he described. “Members of law enforcement in the area were also able to assist and bring that individual into custody,” he said.
He added, “Both of the individuals, the guard members, are in critical condition at a local hospital at this time being treated. At this point, we have no other suspects.”
In a social media post, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey had initially said that the two guard members had died in the 2:16 p.m. attack, but later retracted his statement on X, citing “conflicting reports.”
“We are now receiving conflicting reports about the condition of our two Guard members and will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information. Our prayers are with these brave service members, their families, and the entire Guard community about the condition of our two Guard members and will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information,” he wrote.
“Our prayers are with these brave service members, their families, and the entire Guard community.”
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT, OUTRAGE POUR IN AFTER ‘TARGETED’ DC SHOOTING OF NATIONAL GUARDSMEN: ‘HORRIFIC’
The White House was placed on lockdown following the shooting. Trump is not in Washington, D.C., having left for Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday for the Thanksgiving holiday.
According to Reuters, as of Wednesday morning, approximately 2,200 National Guard troops were deployed in Washington, D.C.
This included personnel from the District of Columbia as well as units from Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia and Alabama.
According to Reuters, as of Wednesday morning, approximately 2,200 National Guard troops were deployed in Washington, D.C.
This included personnel from the District of Columbia as well as units from Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia and Alabama.
Vice President JD Vance, who was in Fort Campbell at the time of the shooting, also said “everybody who’s a person of faith” to pray for the two Guardsmen.
“I think it’s a somber reminder that soldiers, whether they’re active duty, reserve or National Guard, our soldiers are the sword and the shield of the United States of America,” Vance added.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke in the wake of the shooting and said Trump asked him to deploy 500 additional troops to the city.
“This will only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington DC safe and beautiful,” Hegseth said in a statement from the Dominican Republic.
“The drop in crime has been historic. The increase in safety and security has been historic. But if criminals want to conduct things like this, violence against America’s best, we will never back down. President Trump will never back down. That’s why the American people elected him. America and our warriors, our National Guardsmen, are strong,” he said.
Trump’s evening address also outlined the steps the administration would be taking to mobilize 500 more troops to the capital after saying the Department of Homeland Security was “confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on Earth.”
TRUMP’S DC CRIME OPERATION ‘PUTS SAFETY OF FAMILIES FIRST’ AS ARRESTS SURGE PAST 1,800: FBI DIRECTOR
“He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about,” Trump explained.
“Nobody knew who was coming in. Nobody knew anything about it. His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden, a disastrous president, the worst in the history of our country.”
“We will make America totally safe again, and we will bring the perpetrator of this barbaric attack to swift and certain justice,” Trump added.
“These two patriots were wearing the uniform of our country, patrolling the streets of our capital, they had taken a selfless oath to defend our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is exactly what they were doing when they were gunned down in a savage attack,” he said.
“I ask every family to say a prayer for the two great heroes who were so horribly shot and for their loved ones. Please say a prayer God bless them and comfort them, and may God bless and protect the United States of America. Thank you and good night,” the president concluded.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
