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Two National Guard members were shot near the White House in Washington, DC, on November 26, 2025. Guard personnel are seen standing in a restricted area following the incident. The attack took place a few blocks from the White House; the suspect is in custody, though motive remains unclear according to DC police. President Trump stated that the suspect was wounded during a ferocious assault.
Late Wednesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it has paused processing all immigration applications involving Afghan nationals indefinitely, following the shooting that critically injured two National Guard soldiers in Washington. Trump labeled the incident “an act of terror,” revealing the suspect arrived from Afghanistan in 2021.
This action follows Trump’s urging to reconsider Afghan immigrants who entered the U.S. during Joe Biden’s presidency. USCIS emphasized that safeguarding Americans remains their top priority. The two Guard members were targeted in what officials described as a deliberate ambush; the suspect was shot and taken into custody after the attack.
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is a 29-year-old Afghan national from Washington State. A Justice Department official noted he overstayed his visa, making him in the country illegally. The FBI is investigating the incident as terrorism.
President Trump was away at his resort in Palm Beach during the shooting, which prompted a lockdown at the White House as multiple law enforcement agencies responded. The two soldiers, part of the West Virginia National Guard, were conducting a visible patrol near 17th and I Streets when the attacker emerged from around a corner and ambushed them, according to police officials. After exchanging gunfire, the suspect was subdued by other Guard troops, with both wounded soldiers in critical condition at local hospitals, officials said.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene near Farragut Square, a popular lunch spot a few blocks from the White House, decorated with wreaths and bows for the holidays. One witness, Mike Ryan, reported hearing gunfire while he was heading to buy lunch nearby; he saw two soldiers on the ground being attended to, and other Guard members had caught the shooter. Emma McDonald saw one soldier being carried away on a stretcher, blood covering his head and with an IV attached.
Since Trump’s initial deployment of the National Guard in August, troops from D.C. and neighboring states such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama have been stationed in the city, a move that faced opposition from local officials. Trump has claimed the deployment has led to a decline in crime, contradicting official police crime statistics.
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