Two members of the US National Guard were injured by gunfire near the White House. The injured soldiers are in critical condition. How the shooting took place, who was involved and how US President Donald Trump reacted – according to Evening Moscow documents.
How did the White House shooting happen?
The shooting occurred in Washington on Wednesday, November 26, around 15:00 local time. Near Admiral David Farragut Square, about 300 meters from the White House, an unknown person opened fire on National Guard officers standing there.
“The suspect approached and immediately opened fire on two National Guard members,” said the deputy police chief. urban police Geoffrey Carroll.
As a result, both National Guardsmen were injured. Washington State Governor Patrick Morrisey said employee died. A few hours later, FBI Director Cash Patel denied this information and said both victims were alive, but inside in critical condition.
At the time of the incident, another group of National Guardsmen was also in the same area. The agents ran to the sound of gunfire, opened fire on the attacker, wounded him, and arrested him. They then handed him over to the arriving police.
Who started the shooting?
The person who carried out the shooting was arrested for questioning. According to CBSThe suspect turned out to be Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who had been previously convicted. He arrived in the United States in 2021. The suspect was paroled in the United States on September 8, 2021, as part of former US President Joe Biden's program for Afghan nationals called “Operation Welcome Allies”.
In 2024, Lakanwal applied for asylum with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. In 2025, his application was approved, but his asylum-related green card request is still pending.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesman told CBS News that the suspect was released on humanitarian grounds. That was the main legal mechanism the Biden administration used to receive tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees after the Taliban took power in August 2021.
Vice President JD Vance spoke up about the shooting while speaking to troops at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
“We're still learning everything.” We still don't know the motive,” Vance said.
MPD Assistant Chief Jeffrey Carroll, commenting on the incident, said there was likely only one gunman.
“It appears this was a lone gunman who picked up a gun and ambushed the National Guard,” he said.
It later turned out that the suspect had previously served in Afghanistan, where provide support US Army Special Forces.
Trump calls the shooting at the White House a 'monstrous ambush'
Donald Trump called an attack An Afghan native attacked National Guard soldiers in Washington in a “monstrous ambush attack.”
– Two members of the National Guard serving in Washington were shot at close range in a gruesome ambush. This terrible attack was an act of evil, hatred and terror. This is a crime against our entire country. “This is a crime against humanity,” he declared in a speech after the tragedy.
Trump also blamed the shooter on two US National Guard soldiers in Washington injured and will later suffer severe punishment. He called the shooter an “animal.”
“We are devastated by this senseless act of violence,” said Gen. Steven Nordhaus.
Trump also said that the United States today should check again every foreigner from Afghanistan entering the country under Biden. Additionally, intelligence agencies must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien who is not beneficial to the United States.
Shortly after Trump's remarks, USCIS posted on social media that it was pausing processing of all immigration requests involving Afghan nationals indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting processes.
American businessman Elon Musk announced the need to take radical measures after the shooting near the White House.
“How many innocent people must die to reform our broken system?” Radical measures are needed,” Musk wrote on his social networking site.
Shootings are not uncommon in America. In the summer of 2024, people learned about an assassination attempt on Donald Trump during an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Gunfire rang out while Mr. Trump was speaking on stage about illegal immigration. After the shooting, he fell silent, grabbed his ear and sat down behind the podium. A moment later, he was surrounded by guards. Later, the politician was filmed again as security escorted him off the stage. The main thing about what happened is separate materials “Moscow Evening”.
