Donald Trump released a forceful statement after the shooting that occurred near the White House yesterday, an attack that briefly placed the nation’s capital on lockdown.
Two members of the U.S. National Guard were struck by gunfire in what Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser called a “targeted shooting.” The guardsmen—both from the West Virginia National Guard—were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The suspected gunman was shot four times at the scene, law-enforcement officials told CBS News.
Trump reacted sharply on Truth Social, referring to the attacker as an “animal.”
“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price. God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement,” Trump wrote.
“These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”
According to BBC News, the Trump administration filed an emergency motion to keep National Guard personnel in Washington, D.C., and Trump instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy an additional 500 Guard troops to the city.
Law-enforcement sources have identified the suspected shooter as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national. ABC News reported that Lakanwal arrived in the U.S. from Afghanistan in September 2021, applied for asylum in 2024, and was approved in April 2025—during the Trump administration.
Following confirmation of his identity, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it was suspending all immigration requests from Afghan nationals.
The agency wrote on Twitter: “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols. The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
Trump, meanwhile, described Afghanistan as “a hellhole on earth” and pledged that his administration would review every individual who entered the U.S. from that country under President Joe Biden—an initiative the administration had already planned to launch before the attack.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the shooting would be investigated at the federal level, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the attack a “cowardly, dastardly act,” reiterating that President Trump had ordered 500 additional Guard troops into Washington.
Our thoughts and prayers remain with the victims of this senseless attack.
