Gunman emerged from corner, fired handgun before being overpowered.
Gunman emerged from corner, fired handgun before being overpowered but FBI probes as potential terrorism amid immigration background scrutiny.
Trump condemns attack, deploys 500 more Guard troops and Mayor Bowser calls it 'horrific,' vows prosecution as DC locks down, sparking renewed debates on veteran safety and vetting.
two members of the West Virginia National Guard were gunned down in a shocking "targeted" attack near the White House, with authorities confirming the suspect, a 29-year-old Afghan national,is in custody after being wounded and overpowered by responding Guardsmen. The victims, identified as part of the roughly 2,200 troops deployed in DC for security duties, were shot in the head at close range around 2:15 pm near Farragut Square and the Farragut West Metro station, a bustling tourist spot mere blocks from Lafayette Square.
Accordin to Fox news, The gunman, later identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal who immigrated from Afghanistan in 2021 and recently granted asylum, emerged from around a corner at 17th and I streets NW, raised a handgun, and unleashed fire on the patrolling Guardsmen conducting high-visibility security ops. One victim collapsed immediately, while the second sought cover behind a bus stop shelter before being struck; frantic bystanders administered CPR as screams echoed through the area.
In a somber update, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced both Guardsmen had succumbed to their injuries, plunging families and comrades into grief and prompting an outpouring of tributes from across the political spectrum. President Donald Trump, briefed from Florida where he was marking Thanksgiving, condemned the "horrific" act as an assault on American heroes, while ordering an additional 500 Guard troops to DC for heightened security. FBI Director Kash Patel, joining DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD's Jeffery Carroll at a tense presser, hailed the responders' bravery and revealed the bureau is probing the incident as potential international terrorism, with Lakanwal's motives under intense scrutiny, he carried no ID and has yet to cooperate.
