US National Guard shooting suspect worked with US forces in Afghanistan: Media

The suspect in the shooting of two U.S. National Guard soldiers near the White House on Wednesday was an Afghan national who had previously served alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan, local media reported.

According to NBC News, the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the United States in September 2021 after spending a decade in the Afghan army, where he supported U.S. Special Forces.

He has been living in Washington state, NBC News reported, citing senior law enforcement sources.

Fox News reported that the suspect worked with various U.S. government entities while in Afghanistan, including the Central Intelligence Agency, as a member of a partner force.

The attack took place at around 14:15 local time (1915 GMT) near the Farragut Square Metro Station, said a statement from Joint Task Force D.C., which oversees the National Guard deployments to Washington. The suspect was shot by another Guard member and taken into custody, officials said.

Authorities are still working to confirm all details about the individual, who is currently hospitalized.

Calling the shooting an "act of terror," U.S. President Donald Trump said in an address Wednesday night that the United States "must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan" during former President Joe Biden's administration.

In a social media post hours after the attack, Trump said that the two guardsmen are "critically wounded" and are being treated in two separate hospitals, and that the gunman was also severely wounded.