FBI investigates motive behind ambush shooting near White House
Federal investigators are examining what drove 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal to open fire on two National Guard soldiers just blocks from the White House on the eve of Thanksgiving. The FBI’s joint terrorism task force is leading the probe into what officials have described as an ambush attack in a busy commercial area near a subway station.
The two Guardsmen, part of a law enforcement mission ordered by President Donald Trump, remain hospitalized in critical condition. Lakanwal was wounded during an exchange of gunfire before being taken into custody. According to the Department of Homeland Security, he entered the United States in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a program created to resettle Afghans who supported U.S. forces during the Afghanistan war. Officials say he had no known criminal history and had been granted asylum earlier this year, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Trump condemned the incident as an act of terror in a prerecorded statement from his Florida resort. His administration later moved to halt all immigration processing for Afghan nationals while security protocols are reviewed. Vice President JD Vance said the shooting validated the administration’s stance on immigration enforcement.
The attack triggered a temporary lockdown at the White House and renewed debates over Trump’s ongoing deployment of National Guard troops in Washington and other Democratic-led cities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said an additional 500 troops would be sent to the capital at the president’s direction.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has repeatedly challenged Trump’s use of federal troops in the district, called the incident a targeted shooting. Police officials said the suspect acted alone, approaching the soldiers on a high-visibility patrol before opening fire.
The shooting occurred just days after a federal judge temporarily blocked National Guard troops from conducting law enforcement duties in Washington without the mayor’s approval, though the order is on hold pending appeal. Tensions over federal intervention and immigration policy are expected to intensify as the investigation continues.
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