By Sam StevensonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThe suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday was granted asylum by President Donald Trump's administration, it has been reported.
A source familiar with the case and a separate law enforcement source told NBC News that Rahmanullah Lakanwal was granted asylum in the U.S. this year.
Lakanwal, 29, is reported to be an Afghan national who came to the United States as part of Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era effort to resettle Afghans who assisted U.S. forces.
Newsweek contacted the White House for comment by email outside of regular business hours.
...Why It Matters
Wednesday's shooting has triggered intense debate about U.S. immigration policy and national security.
The attack, described by Trump as "an act of terror," has led to an immediate halt to the processing of immigration requests from Afghan nationals, broad political reactions, and renewed scrutiny of the government's vetting processes for refugees and asylum seekers.
...What To Know
Investigators from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force are probing the motives behind the ambush-style shooting that left two members of the West Virginia National Guard critically wounded just blocks from the White House, per Reuters.
The incident occurred near 17th and High streets NW, close to the Farragut West Metro station, during a “high-visibility patrol,” police said.
Lakanwal opened fire on the guardsmen, who have not yet been formally identified, before being wounded and apprehended by responding troops, according to Executive Assistant Police Chief Jeffery Carroll.
Carroll told reporters: "The suspect came around the corner, he immediately started firing a firearm at the two National Guard members."
Other National Guard members in the area responded after hearing the gunfire, Caroll said.
He said: “They actually were able to intervene and to kind of hold down the suspect, after he had been shot, on the ground until law enforcement got there within moments.”
Officials have not publicly disclosed a motive for the attack. Both National Guard members wounded in the incident remain in critical condition as of Thursday morning, per the Guardian.
Trump has ordered an additional 500 National Guard troops to be deployed to the capital in the wake of the attack.
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What People Are Saying
Speaking from Palm Beach, Trump said: “We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden.”
Vice President JD Vance said on X: “I remember back in 2021 criticizing the Biden policy of opening the floodgate to unvetted Afghan refugees. Friends sent me messages calling me a racist. It was a clarifying moment. They shouldn't have been in our country.”
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser described the incident as a “targeted shooting,” while Metropolitan Police Executive Assistant Chief Jeff Carroll said that “it appears … to be a lone gunman that raised a firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard”.
General Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said: “We are devastated by this senseless act of violence.”
What Happens Next
The Trump administration’s indefinite pause on Afghan immigration affects thousands seeking entry or legal status in the United States, including Afghans who previously assisted U.S. military operations.
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