Investigators led by the FBI’s joint terrorism task force are looking into what drove a suspected Afghan national to open fire on two National Guardsmen, mere blocks from the White House.

The suspect, who was wounded in the exchange of gunfire before being taken into custody, has been identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national.

The two soldiers, both from West Virginia, remain in critical condition following the attack. Officials said Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden-era programme designed to admit Afghans fleeing their country after the Taliban took power.

President Donald Trump, who was at his Florida resort at the time, released a prerecorded video statement late Wednesday, calling the shooting “an act of evil, an act of hatred, and an act of terror”.

Trump added that his administration would “re-examine” all Afghans admitted to the US during President Biden’s tenure.

Graphic News

Source link