(Washington) The head of the FBI announced Thursday that the American federal police were conducting a terrorism investigation after two National Guard soldiers were seriously injured by gunfire the day before in Washington, in an attack described as an “ambush” by the authorities.
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“This is an ongoing investigation into an act of terrorism,” Kash Patel said at a press conference.
Two National Guard soldiers were shot and wounded on Wednesday in the American capital, a stone’s throw from the White House, by an Afghan national who arrived on American soil in 2021.
Aged 20 and 24, they were still in critical condition on Thursday, Washington prosecutor Jeanine Pirro said during the press conference.
PHOTO NATHAN HOWARD, REUTERS
Washington Attorney Jeanine Pirro
During this “targeted” attack, “a sniper opened fire without provocation, as if in an ambush,” she detailed, specifying that the assailant was armed with a Smith & Wesson revolver.
He shot the two soldiers before being “subdued” and “neutralized” by other national guards.
Identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan, he was transported to a local hospital, “where he is still at present, under close surveillance”, added Mr.me Pirro.
She said he would face three counts of armed assault with intent to kill.
President Donald Trump denounced an “act of terrorism” and promised to strengthen his anti-immigration policies, accusing the previous administration of Joe Biden of having let Afghan citizens enter without control at the time of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.
“This heinous attack was a vile act, an act of hatred and an act of terrorism,” President Trump said shortly after the attack in a televised address.
PHOTO NATHAN HOWARD, REUTERS
Two National Guard soldiers were shot and wounded on Wednesday in the American capital, a stone’s throw from the White House.
“We will bring the perpetrator of this barbaric attack to justice quickly and surely,” he said.
Trump promised to “reexamine” the case of “every foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden.” “We must take all necessary measures to ensure the expulsion of any foreigner from any country who does not belong here or who does not bring any benefit to our country,” insisted Donald Trump.
“I remember that in 2021, I criticized Biden’s policy of welcoming Afghan refugees massively and without control. Friends then called me racist. It was a real awakening. They should not have been in our country,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X.
The suspect is an Afghan national who worked with the American armed forces in Afghanistan before being exfiltrated to the United States in September 2021 as part of Operation “Allies Welcome” set up by the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden to help Afghans who collaborated with the Americans.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed on X that this “depraved individual” was admitted to the United States in September 2021, a month after the hasty withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.
US media identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29.
The shooting targeting National Guard soldiers took place Wednesday afternoon in the very center of the American capital, invested since August by hundreds of these reserve soldiers to carry out foot patrols, at the request of the American president and against the advice of local Democratic authorities.
The two affected soldiers, from West Virginia, are “seriously injured” and the alleged shooter is also “severely injured,” Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social network, calling the author an “animal” who “will pay dearly” for his act.
PHOTO ANTHONY PELTIER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Numerous police officers were deployed to the scene after the attack.
From Florida where he is spending the Thanksgiving holiday, Donald Trump engaged in a vehement diatribe against immigration, described as “the greatest threat to national security”, accusing his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden (2021-2025) of having let “millions” of foreigners into the United States.
Shortly after the president’s address, USCIS, a federal immigration agency, announced an immediate and indefinite suspension of “processing of all immigration applications involving Afghan nationals” “pending further review of security and vetting protocols.”
AfghanEvac, an organization responsible for helping Afghans settle in the United States after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, defended itself, claiming to carry out “some of the most thorough security checks (…) in immigration matters.
“Targeted shots”
Around 2:15 p.m. (Eastern time), “a suspect came around the corner, raised his firearm and fired toward National Guardsmen” on patrol, Jeffery Carroll, a Washington police official, said at a press conference, calling it a “lone shooter.” »
Other national guards “managed” to “overpower him to arrest him,” he added.
PHOTO MARK SCHIEFELBEIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Members of the National Guard in Washington DC
“The shootings were targeted,” Muriel Bowser, the Democratic mayor of Washington, said at the same press conference.
The White House accused the Democratic opposition of having “demonized” the soldiers by criticizing their deployment.
At the scene of the shooting, in an office district two blocks from the White House, AFP journalists saw a person dressed in a military uniform being evacuated on a stretcher.
In recent months, the president has sent the National Guard to Los Angeles and Washington, against the advice of local Democratic officials, saying the reinforcements are necessary to fight crime and illegal immigration.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday the sending of 500 additional troops to Washington, which should bring their number to more than 2,500.
