‘Violence has no place in America’: Barack Obama on Washington shooting

Former president Barack Obama decried the Washington shooting, declaring that “violence has no place in America”, and called for compassion and solidarity in the face of this tragic assault on peace and security.

In a harrowing incident in downtown Washington, two National Guardsmen were shot and now remain in critical condition. Authorities have named the alleged assailant as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who arrived in the United States in 2021, casting a shadow of alarm over the nation’s capital.

In a post on X, Obama said, "Violence has no place in America. Michelle and I are praying for the servicemembers shot in Washington, DC today, and send our love to their families as they enter this holiday season under the most tragic of circumstances."

Former US vice-president Kamala Harris also took to social media and sent her prayers to the families of the two National Guardsmen who were shot.

"Doug and I send our prayers to the two National Guardsmen who were shot earlier today in Washington, to their families, and to the communities that love them. Violence of any kind is unacceptable, and we all, together, must condemn this tragedy," Harris said.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump called the attack an "act of terror".

"This heinous assault was an act of evil and an act of hatred, and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity," Trump said while addressing the nation on Wednesday evening (local time).

He added that the suspect in custody is a "foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on earth", and blamed the previous Biden administration for allowing the attacker to enter the country under refugee status.

Trump also promised to "re-examine every single alien" from Afghanistan who entered the US under the Biden administration.

"We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here, or add benefit to our country if they can't love our country, we don't want them," he added.

He also announced deployment of an additional 500 troops to "help protect our capital city."

The shooting happened less than 500 metres away from the White House. Trump was not in the capital and is visiting Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday.

While addressing the media, FBI director Kash Patel said that the case will be prosecuted at the federal level since "this is an assault on federal law enforcement officers".

In recent months, multiple states have dispatched National Guard personnel to Washington as part of President Trump’s sweeping public-safety initiative, a mission that has since stretched its protective mantle to several other major cities across the nation.

Washington is currently bolstered by a force of approximately 2,400 National Guard troops, including around 958 from the DC National Guard and nearly 1,300 drawn from eight other states, standing as a vigilant shield over the nation’s capital.

With IANS inputs