FBI probes motive in ‘ambush’ shooting of National Guard soldiers near White House
The suspect, identified as an Afghan national with no criminal history, was shot and subdued after ambushing a patrol
Investigators led by the FBI’s joint terrorism task force sought clues on Thursday to what drove an Afghan immigrant to open fire on two National Guard soldiers mere blocks from the White House in what officials called an “ambush” attack on Thanksgiving eve.
The two soldiers, part of a militarised law enforcement mission ordered by US President Donald Trump months ago and challenged in court by officials of the District of Columbia, were hospitalised in critical condition.
The suspect, who was wounded in an exchange of gunfire before he was arrested, was identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national.
Trump, who was at his resort in Florida at the time of the attack, released a pre-recorded video statement late on Wednesday calling the shooting “an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror”. He said his administration would “re-examine” all Afghans who came to the US during Joe Biden’s presidency.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services agency later said that it has halted processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals indefinitely, “pending further review of security and vetting protocols”.