Two National Guards shot in Washington; Trump calls it an ‘act of terror’

Two National Guard personnel were left in critical condition after being shot in downtown Washington on the eve of Thanksgiving, in an incident that unfolded less than a kilometre from the White House. The suspected gunman, identified by US media as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the country in 2021, has been arrested.

Authorities said the shooting, which occurred on Wednesday, appeared to be a “targeted attack”. Washington mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed the assessment, while FBI Director Kash Patel stated the case would be prosecuted at the federal level, describing it as “an assault on federal law enforcement officers”.

President Donald Trump, who is spending the holiday in Florida, responded forcefully, calling the shooting “an act of terror” in an address on Wednesday evening. He alleged that the suspect had been admitted to the US under refugee provisions during the previous Biden administration and pledged to review the status of Afghans who arrived under those programmes.

“This heinous assault was an act of evil, an act of hatred, and an act of terror,” Trump said. “We must re-examine every single alien who entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden and ensure the removal of anyone who does not belong here.”

Earlier, he posted on X, calling the attacker “an animal” and promising the “steepest possible price”.

In the wake of the shooting, the administration ordered an additional 500 troops to Washington, adding to the roughly 2,400 National Guard members already deployed in the capital, around 958 from the DC National Guard and about 1,300 from eight other states.

The deployment, part of Trump’s extended public-safety initiative, has been expanded to several major US cities and is set to remain through summer 2026. The continued presence of out-of-state troops has sparked political debate, with supporters citing improved security and critics warning of blurred boundaries between military forces and civilian policing.

The two Guardsmen injured in the attack were deployed from West Virginia and remain in critical condition.

The shooting briefly disrupted travel at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Flights were halted for a short period before operations resumed. The airport later confirmed it was “open and operating normally”.

As the city entered the Thanksgiving holiday, usually a quieter period, the atmosphere in central Washington turned tense. Streets near the Capitol saw stepped-up patrols by the National Guard, Capitol Police and multiple federal agencies. Pennsylvania Avenue, often bustling with tourists and commuters, was patrolled by slow-moving law enforcement vehicles.

The neighbourhood has experienced repeated security crises in recent years, including heightened tensions following the 6 January 2021 Capitol attack, making Wednesday’s incident another unsettling moment for residents and authorities alike.

With agency inputs