Two National Guard troops fighting for their lives after being shot in Washington DC have been named, as the FBI launched a terror probe and said the main supect may previously have worked with the CIA in Afghanistan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The injured troops have been idenitified as Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, and both remain in a critical condition a day after the shooting.<\/p>\n
Confirming their names, District of Columbia US attorney Jeanine Pirro said the alleged shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, drove across the US to carry out what she described as an “ambush-style” attack.<\/p>\n
The 29-year-old suspect, an Afghan national, entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the US withdrawal from the country, officials said.<\/p>\n
Ms Pirro added the two guards had been sworn in as National Guard members fewer than 24 hours before the shooting.<\/p>\n
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Donald Trump has sent a further 500 National Guard troops to Washington DC after the shooting. (AP: Rahmat Gul)<\/p>\n
Mr Lakanwal currently faces charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.<\/p>\n
Ms Pirro said “it’s too soon to say” what the suspect’s motives were, adding that the charges could be upgraded as the investigation progressed.<\/p>\n
“We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree. But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge.”<\/p>\n
Suspect worked with CIA before Afghanistan withdrawal<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The FBI searched multiple properties in Washington state and San Diego, with Mr Patel calling it a \u201ccoast-to-coast investigation”.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Rahmanullah Lakanwal is the only suspect in the shooting. (Reuters: Nathan Howard)<\/p>\n
Investigators seized numerous electronic devices from the suspect’s house in Washington state, including mobile phones, laptops, and iPads, Mr Patel told a news conference in Washington DC.<\/p>\n
Prior to his 2021 arrival into the US, Mr Lakanwal had worked with the US government, including the CIA, according to the agency’s director John Ratcliffe.\u00a0<\/p>\n