ALBAWABA - Two National Guard soldiers were shot just north of the White House shortly after 2 p.m. on Wednesday, local media reported.
The United States deployed over 2,000 National Guard troops to the capital, Washington, D.C., following the incident as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime.
According to American media, the motivation of the attack is still unknown yet, but the attack on the National Guard was condemned by residents.
The shooter was identified in reports as an Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
The suspect is being detained at a local hospital. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP
How did the Washington attack happen?
The executive assistant chief at the Metropolitan Police Department, Jeffery Carroll, said in a press statement after the attack, that the two soldiers had been patrolling the area when the suspected shooter came closer and took his gun and shot them.
Other National Guards and policemen in the place quickly arrested the suspect and took him into custody.
Alleged photo of the attacker near the White House in the U.S. (X)
What to know about the Washington attacker?
The suspect was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal from Afghanistan. He is a 29-year-old, The Independent reported Wednesday.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the suspect entered the country in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome. He has been living in Washington state, over 2,600 miles away from D.C., according to the Associated Press.
Fox News said, citing the intelligence service's director John Ratcliffe, that Lakanwal worked alongside the U.S. military and other government entities, including the CIA, in Afghanistan before departing to the U.S. as a refugee in September 2021 when the Taliban took over power.
On the other hand, a close relative to the attacker was said to have served in the Afghan Army for 10 years alongside U.S. Special Forces, and that's how Rahmanullah Lakanwal was allowed to enter the U.S., NBC News reported.
