The White House, just a few blocks from where the attack occurred.
Credit : OVSEGL, Shutterstock
What should have been a standard patrol just a few blocks from the White House turned into a horrifying scene on Wednesday November 26 after two National Guard soldiers were shot and left in critical condition.
The attack happened around 2.15pm near the busy corner of 17th and I Streets, an area filled with office workers grabbing lunch. Police say the shooter came around a corner and opened fire directly at the patrol, leaving the soldiers with life-threatening injuries before other troops returned fire and subdued him.
“This was a targeted shooting,” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said, stressing that investigators believe the gunman acted alone.
Suspect identified as Afghan national resettled in the US in 2021
Authorities later confirmed the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the US in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome – the Biden-era scheme created to resettle Afghans who assisted American forces during the war.
He had no known criminal history, and investigators are still searching for a motive.
According to a former Trump administration official cited by Reuters, Lakanwal applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved in April this year. Hours after the shooting, US immigration authorities announced an immediate halt on all immigration requests from Afghan nationals while vetting procedures are reviewed.
The White House reaction was swift. From his resort in Florida, President Donald Trump released a video calling the attack “an act of evil, hatred and terror” and promised to re-examine the status of all Afghans admitted under Biden. Vice President JD Vance went further, saying the incident proved the administration was right to tighten immigration enforcement.
Chaos in the heart of Washington
The shooting erupted next to Farragut Square, a popular lunchtime park surrounded by cafés, restaurants and two Metro stations. Witnesses described a moment of confusion and panic as shots rang out.
“I heard what sounded like gunfire and ran,” said Mike Ryan, 55. “When I came back, two soldiers were on the ground and people were trying to revive one of them.”
Another witness, Emma McDonald, said she saw one of the victims being carried away on a stretcher, “his head covered in blood”.
National Guard troops have been stationed across Washington since August as part of Trump’s controversial crime and immigration crackdown. Around 2,200 soldiers are already deployed in the capital, and defence officials say an extra 500 are now on the way following the attack.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that crime has “disappeared” from the city thanks to the deployment – a claim that runs counter to official police statistics.
