Washington, Nov 27 A gunman who critically wounded two US National Guard members near the White House had worked with the US military during the war in Afghanistan.
The CIA confirmed that the 29-year-old suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who worked with a US-supported military unit during the war in Afghanistan.
He entered the US in September 2021 through a Biden-era immigration program designed for Afghans who assisted US forces.
Officials also revealed on Thursday that he drove more than 4,000 kilometres across the country to carry out the attack.
Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney in Washington, DC, said that the suspect left his home in Bellingham, Washington, and drove his vehicle across the United States with the intention of committing the attack. She also revealed that the attacker used a .357 revolver to shoot Guard members on Wednesday afternoon.
Both soldiers, identified as Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe of the West Virginia National Guard, are in their 20s and remain in critical condition.
Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that the two soldiers “came through surgery,” but she did not release further medical details.
The shooting took place less than 500 metres from the White House. Trump was not in the capital and is visiting Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday.
FBI Director Kash Patel said agents were interviewing witnesses and executing search warrants “here in D.C. and at multiple locations on the West Coast.”
After officials confirmed the suspect’s nationality late Wednesday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a temporary pause on processing immigration applications from Afghanistan, affecting asylum seekers, green-card applicants, and Afghans trying to enter the United States.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump called it an “act of terror.”
“This heinous assault was an act of evil and an act of hatred, and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity,” Trump said.
He also announced deployment of an additional 500 troops to “help protect our capital city.”
There are approximately 2,400 National Guard troops currently deployed in Washington, which includes around 958 from the DC National Guard and about 1,300 from eight other states.
Multiple states have sent Guard personnel to Washington in recent months as part of President Trump’s public-safety crackdown.
--IANS
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