White House area shooting: National guard ambushed, attacker linked to CIA cooperation

Public commentary on the shooting near the White House continues, and media outlets have now published images of the Afghan gunman.

Last night, an armed individual clashed with National Guard forces near the White House and opened fire on them. Following the exchange of gunfire, two Guard members and the shooter were seriously wounded.

Fox News reported that a 29-year-old Afghan citizen named Rahmanullah Lakanwal carried out the attack. According to the Republican-leaning outlet close to Donald Trump, he had cooperated with various U.S. government agencies—including the CIA—as a member of a partner force in Afghanistan.

Lakanwal reportedly entered the United States after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 under the Biden administration. Intelligence sources told Fox News that due to his role with a partner force in Kandahar, he had previous ties to several U.S. government entities.

Former CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital: “Following Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the administration justified bringing this shooter to the United States in September 2021 because of his prior work with the U.S. government, including the CIA.”

He added, “This individual—and many others—should never have been allowed into this country. Our citizens and our service members deserve far better than to endure the ongoing consequences of the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures. God protect our brave soldiers.”

The attack on the National Guard in Washington, D.C. comes just a day after Trump said at an event that since their deployment in the capital, no crimes had occurred.

Following the attack, the U.S. president described the shooting as a “brutal assault” and explained how the Guard members “were ambushed at close range, just steps from the White House.”

Trump called the attack “horrific, evil, hateful, and terrorist,” adding: “This was a crime against our entire nation. This was a crime against humanity.”

He continued, “As President of the United States, I am determined to ensure that the animal who committed this crime pays the highest price possible.”

Several senior intelligence officials told Fox News Digital that the FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of “international terrorism.”

Deployment of 500 additional national guard troops in Washington

Early Thursday morning, the U.S. Secretary of Defense said that the close proximity of the shooting to the White House reinforces the administration’s resolve to ensure security in the capital.

Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, announced the deployment of an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington following the shooting incident.

Noting that the attack occurred only a few steps from the White House, Hegseth said: “This shooting strengthens our determination to ensure the security of Washington.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President James David Vance expressed his regret over the deaths of the two National Guard members, stating that “the motives behind the shooting near the White House remain unclear.”

In further statements from U.S. officials, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: “The National Guard works around the clock to maintain security in Washington, and their presence has made a real and positive difference.”

At the same time, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced that “air traffic at Reagan National Airport in Washington has resumed after being suspended due to the shooting near the White House.”