Authorities in the United States have charged an Afghan national with launching an ambush-style attack that critically injured two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House, in an incident that has intensified political tensions over the deployment of troops in American cities.<\/p>\n
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro identified the victims as Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24. Both remain in critical condition after the Wednesday afternoon shooting.<\/p>\n
According to prosecutors, the suspect 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal drove across the country before allegedly opening fire with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. He faces charges including assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a violent crime. Pirro said it is \u201ctoo soon to say\u201d what motivated the attack, but warned that charges could escalate if either victim dies.<\/p>\n
The shooting occurred as National Guard deployments have become a focal point in national debates, with the Trump administration arguing that military support is necessary to curb violent crime. Hours after the incident, federal officials ordered an additional 500 National Guard members to Washington.<\/p>\n
Law enforcement officials said Lakanwal was also shot during the confrontation but is expected to survive. The FBI has opened a terrorism investigation, with Director Kash Patel describing the case as a \u201ccoast-to-coast probe\u201d involving multiple search warrants.<\/p>\n
Mayor Muriel Bowser condemned the attack as an assault on the nation itself. \u201cSomebody drove across the country and came to Washington D.C. to attack America,\u201d she said, promising full prosecution.<\/p>\n
Officials revealed that Lakanwal arrived in the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a resettlement program for Afghans evacuated after the U.S. withdrawal. Before leaving Afghanistan, he worked with American intelligence services, including the CIA, in Kandahar a region long at the heart of conflict between NATO forces and the Taliban.<\/p>\n
Since the evacuation, the program has drawn political scrutiny over vetting procedures. In a video message, President Donald Trump called for a renewed review of all Afghan refugees admitted during the Biden administration, describing the shooting as \u201ca crime against our entire nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Witness accounts and preliminary police findings indicate that the gunman approached the troops near a metro station and opened fire without warning. Other National Guard members in the vicinity rushed to subdue him, with investigators reviewing video that shows at least one guard member returning fire.<\/p>\n
Emergency responders were seen performing CPR on one of the wounded soldiers moments after the attack.<\/p>\n
The investigation continues, with authorities saying there is no indication of additional suspects.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Authorities in the United States have charged an Afghan national with launching an ambush-style attack that critically injured two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House, in an incident that has intensified political tensions over the deployment of troops in American cities. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_1160854738579181570_1160854738579181570":"","facebook_3558452337540614_100649324928663":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[2318,1359,1893,2319,1261,1365,2317,1087,478,2320],"class_list":{"0":"post-14587","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-asia","8":"tag-afghan-refugees","9":"tag-law-enforcement","10":"tag-national-guard","11":"tag-operation-allies-welcome","12":"tag-public-safety","13":"tag-security","14":"tag-terrorism-investigation","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-washington-dc","17":"tag-white-house-shooting"},"yoast_head":"\n