Two West Virginia National Guard members who deployed to Washington were shot on Wednesday.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said that the two National Guard members were hospitalized, both in a critical condition.
The National Guard has been deployed to cities across the US to combat what officials say is an out-of-control crime problem.
Photo: Reuters
A suspect who was in custody was also shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.
The 29-year-old suspect, an Afghan national, entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the withdrawal of the US military from the country, officials said.
The initiative brought about 76,000 people to the US. The program has faced intense scrutiny from US President Donald Trump, congressional Republicans and government watchdog groups over gaps in the vetting process and the speed of admissions.
Photo: Reuters
The suspect, who has been living in Washington state, was identified by law enforcement officials as Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
Authorities were still working to fully confirm his background, two law enforcement officials and a person familiar with the matter said.
In a video message released on social media, Trump called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who entered during the administration of former US president Joe Biden.
“If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them,” Trump said, adding that the shooting was “a crime against our entire nation.”
Jeffery Carroll, an executive assistant Washington police chief, said that investigators had no information on a motive.
He said that the assailant “came around the corner” and immediately started firing at the troops, citing video reviewed by investigators.
“This was a targeted shooting,” Bowser said.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey initially said that the troops had died, but he later walked that statement back to say his office was “receiving conflicting reports” about their condition.
The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Trump asked him to send the troops.
The shooting happened about two blocks northwest of the White House near a metro station.
Hearing gunfire, other troops in the area ran over and held down the gunman after he was shot, Carroll said.
“It appears to be a lone gunman that raised a firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard,” Carroll said, adding that it was not clear whether one of the guard members or a law enforcement officer shot the suspect.
“At this point we have no other suspects,” Carroll said at a news conference.
At least one of the guard members exchanged gunfire with the shooter, said another law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Social media video shared in the immediate aftermath showed first responders performing CPR on one of the troops and treating the other on a glass-covered sidewalk.
US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll said on social media that he visited the wounded National Guard members in hospital and that his “heart breaks for them.”
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