DC Shooting: Afghan National Detained in Targeted Ambush Near White House

Targeted Ambush on National Guard

• 🎯 Two National Guard soldiers from the West Virginia National Guard were shot near the White House in what officials described as a targeted ambush.
• 📍 The incident occurred around 2:15 PM, with a lone gunman ambushing the soldiers who were part of a high-visibility patrol.
• 🤝 Other National Guard members and law enforcement quickly subdued the shooter after an exchange of gunfire.

Suspect Identification and Investigation

• 👤 The suspect has been identified as Ramanula Lakenwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national residing in Washington State.
• ⚖️ Investigators are treating the attack as an act of terrorism.
• 📄 Lakenwal entered the U.S. in 2021 on a special visa for Afghans who assisted the U.S. but overstayed his visa and is in the country illegally.

Political and Security Responses

• 🚨 Former President Donald Trump vowed the perpetrator would pay the steepest price and called for a re-examination of all Afghan nationals who entered the U.S. under the Biden administration.
• 🛡️ In response to the incident and Trump's comments, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services halted processing of immigration requests from Afghan nationals.
• 👮 Defense Secretary Pete Hagerty announced plans to deploy 500 additional National Guard troops to Washington D.C. to secure the capital.
• 📈 National Guard troops have been stationed in D.C. since August, a deployment Trump has claimed has eradicated crime, despite police statistics indicating otherwise.