Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Nov 27: A 29-year-old Afghan national who critically injured two US National Guard members near the White House had previously worked with American military forces during the war in Afghanistan, officials confirmed on Thursday.

The CIA identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who entered the US in September 2021 under a special immigration program created for Afghans who assisted US-led operations. Authorities revealed that Lakanwal drove more than 4,000 kilometres from his home in Bellingham, Washington, before carrying out the attack.

US attorney Jeanine Pirro said the suspect travelled across the country “with the intention to commit the assault,” using a .357 revolver to open fire on Guard members Wednesday afternoon. The victims — Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe of the West Virginia National Guard, both in their 20s — remain in critical condition following emergency surgery.

The attack unfolded just a few hundred metres from the White House. President Donald Trump, who was in Florida for Thanksgiving, condemned the shooting as an “act of terror,” calling it “a crime against our entire nation” and announcing the deployment of 500 additional troops to bolster security in Washington.

FBI director Kash Patel said investigators are interviewing witnesses and conducting searches “in D.C. and multiple locations on the West Coast.”

In response to the suspect’s confirmed Afghan origin, US Citizenship and Immigration Services temporarily halted processing of immigration applications from Afghanistan — impacting asylum cases, green-card applicants, and others seeking entry.

Roughly 2,400 National Guard personnel are currently stationed in Washington, including nearly 1,000 from the DC Guard and additional forces from eight other states, part of Trump’s broader public-safety initiative.