Warning: Graphic image below.<\/p>\n
The crazed gunman who shot two National Guard troops in a possible terror attack<\/a> near the White House Wednesday has been identified as a 29-year-old Afghan national who came to the US during the chaotic 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, law enforcement sources told The Post.<\/p>\n Rahmanullah Lakanwal was allegedly lying in wait before he rounded the corner near the Farragut West Metro Station in Northwest DC around 2:15 p.m., then opened fire, striking a female guard in the chest before shooting her in the head, according to law enforcement sources.<\/p>\n Two National Guard members were shot just blocks from the White House on Wednesday. MQ RYAN via REUTERS<\/p>\n Lakanwal, who entered the country under Operation Allies Welcome and resettled in Bellingham, Washington, then allegedly fired at and struck the second guard \u2014 until a third guard stationed nearby rushed to the area and took him down, the sources said.<\/p>\n The two armed soldiers, who were patrolling the streets when the suspect launched his rampage<\/a>, were taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, authorities said.<\/p>\n The suspect, who was reportedly shot four times, was hauled away nearly naked in an ambulance and acted alone.<\/p>\n Emergency vehicles gather at a cordoned off area where National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Washington. AP<\/p>\n Police have not revealed a motive for the attack.<\/p>\n Law enforcement sources said the FBI is initially treating the shooting as a potential act of terrorism.<\/p>\n Follow the latest on the National Guard shooting in Washington, DC: <\/p>\n DC Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters Wednesday afternoon it was a \u201ctargeted shooting\u201d in which one individual \u201cappeared to target these guardsmen.\u201d<\/p>\n The shooting, described as an \u201cambush,\u201d erupted near Farragut Square in Northwest DC, a bustling area filled with retail stores and restaurants.<\/p>\n The alleged gunman is in custody. AP<\/p>\n Both President Trump and Vice President JD Vance were not in DC at the time of the shooting, with Trump in Florida and Vance visiting troops in Kentucky.<\/p>\n Trump has since ordered 500 additional National Guards troops be sent to Washington, DC.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will never back down. We will secure our capital. We will secure our cities,\u201d Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters Wednesday. \u201cPresident Trump has asked me, and I will ask the Secretary of the Army to the National Guard to add 500 additional troops, National Guardsmen to Washington DC.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis will only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington DC safe and beautiful.<\/p>\n The drop in crime has been historic. The increase in safety and security has been historic.\u201d<\/p>\n There were approximately 2,100 National Guard troops assigned to DC, including about 900 from the DC National Guard and roughly 1,200 from other states, a Pentagon official told The Post.<\/p>\n Last week, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to withdraw the National Guard from DC, but paused that order from going into effect until Dec. 11 to give time for an appeal.<\/p>\n Roughly 90,000 Afghans were\u00a0allowed entry into the US and became eligible for Special immigrant Visas<\/a>\u00a0under the Biden administration\u2019s Operation Allies Refuge (OAR) and Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) programs, which provided the foreign nationals immigration processing and resettlement support.<\/p>\n