{"id":407475,"date":"2025-11-27T03:38:27","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T03:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/407475\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T03:38:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T03:38:27","slug":"two-national-guard-troops-shot-near-white-house-in-ambush-style-attack-suspect-now-in-custody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/407475\/","title":{"rendered":"Two National Guard troops shot near White House in ‘ambush’-style attack, suspect now in custody"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 A crazed gunman shot two\u00a0National Guard troops in a cowardly \u201cambush\u201d-style attack \u2014 leaving them in critical condition \u2014 just blocks from the White House<\/a> on Wednesday in what\u2019s now being investigated as a terror attack, according to law enforcement sources and officials.<\/p>\n

The gunman \u2014 identified by sources as Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29 \u2014 was lying in wait before rounding the corner and 17th and I\u00a0Streets around 2:15 p.m. and ambushed the pair of Guard members and opened fire, authorities and sources said.<\/p>\n

Lakanwal, who has a Washington state address, came to the US as part of the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, sources said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were other members that were in the area. They were able to, after some back and forth, subdue the individual and bring them into custody,\u201d Metro Police Department executive assistant chief Jeffery Carroll said at a press conference. \u201cWithin moments, members of law enforcement in the area were also able to assist and bring that individual into custody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow The Post\u2019s live coverage of President Trump and national politics for the latest news and analysis<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Two\u00a0National Guard troops\u00a0were shot Wednesday, just blocks from the White House. MQ RYAN via REUTERS<\/p>\n

An unidentified man lies on a stretcher inside an ambulance in downtown Washington, DC. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

A U.S. Capitol Park Police helicopter is seen on the National Mall evacuating a National Guard shooting victim, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Washington. AP<\/p>\n

ATF officers are seen after reports of the shooting near the White House in Washington. AP<\/p>\n

The armed soldiers, who were patrolling the streets, exchanged gunfire with the shooter, and other guardsmen stationed nearby rushed to the area after hearing shots ring out.<\/p>\n

One female guard was shot in the chest \u2014 before Lakanwal shot her in the head, law enforcement sources. He then allegedly fired at second guard before a third guard stationed nearby rushed in and took him down, the sources said.<\/p>\n

Photos in the aftermath of the horrifying daylight assault showed one of the troops shot in the head near Farragut Square, a bustling public park with restaurants and retail shopping stores in between the Farragut West and Farragut North metro stations.<\/p>\n

Glass was strewn about the crime scene just outside the Farragut West Metro Station in Northwest DC from the bursts of gunfire as bystanders rushed for cover in what Carroll called \u201ca targeted attack.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Law enforcement sources later said the shooting was being investigated as an act of terror.<\/p>\n

Lakanwal entered the country under Operation Allies Welcome and resettled in Bellingham, Washington \u2014 but he overstayed his visa, according to sources and Fox News.<\/p>\n

More than 100,000 Afghans were brought into the US as part of Operations Allies Welcome. The disastrous withdrawal left 13 US service members dead when ISIS-K suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the airport in Kabul.<\/p>\n

FBI Director Kash Patel declared that the bureau and its law enforcement partners would use \u201call of our resources to make sure we find the perpetrators responsible for this heinous act,\u201d vowing they will be brought to justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease send a prayer to those brave warriors \u2026 they are the heroes of this day, and we must remember them every day and remember their sacrifice,\u201d he said at a press conference in the hours following the shooting.<\/p>\n

A member of the Secret Service stands behind yellow police tape after the shooting. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers respond to a shooting near the White House. Getty Images<\/p>\n

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey posted on X<\/a> around 3:40 p.m. that both service members from his state had \u201cpassed away from their injuries,\u201d but 20 minutes later added<\/a> that he was \u201creceiving conflicting reports about the condition of our two Guard members and will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow the latest on the National Guard shooting in Washington, DC: <\/p>\n

Mayor Muriel Bowser ignored a reporter\u2019s shouted question about the apparently premature post and subsequent walk-back.<\/p>\n

Authorities confirmed at a 4:45 p.m. news conference that the two Guard members were transported to a hospital in critical condition. They also said the suspect \u2014 who was hauled away nearly naked in an ambulance \u2014 had acted alone.<\/p>\n

DC\u2019s Metro Police Department confirmed the shooting occurred a little after 2:30 p.m. Getty Images<\/p>\n

A Washington Metropolitan Police officer directs pedestrians after reports of two National Guard soldiers being shot. AP<\/p>\n

Law enforcement sources told The Post that the suspect was shot four times.<\/p>\n

Tourist Tim Moye of Newton, Georgia, said he was about a block away from the shooting when it happened \u2014 and he heard two gunshots, a brief pause, and then three more. A rush of people ran his way and said \u201csomebody was shooting.\u201d<\/p>\n

A parking garage attendant a half-block away said he heard about eight shots before rushing inside along with many pedestrians.<\/p>\n

The gunman fired on the soldiers at Farragut Square in Northwest DC, less than a half mile north of the White House. AP<\/p>\n

\u201cOur entire state grieves with their families, their loved ones, and the Guard community,\u201d West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey wrote on X. \u201d We will demand full accountability for this horrific act.\u201d AP<\/p>\n

Two National Guard troops were shot near the White House on Wednesday, according to a report. X \/ @KellieMeyerNews<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s scary,\u201d said a clearly shaken uniformed worker, speaking in broken English as she ventured out of her workplace near K Street, the major road synonymous with DC lobbying.<\/p>\n

Both President Trump and Vice President JD Vance were not in DC at the time of the shooting, with Trump in Florida and Vance visiting troops in Kentucky.<\/p>\n

Members of the US Secret Service were photographed responding to the incident, Newsmax\u2019s Mike Carter posted on X. X \/ @ConservBrief<\/p>\n

DC\u2019s Metro Police Department confirmed the shooting occurred at\u00a017th and I Street, NW, but didn\u2019t share how many victims were involved.\u00a0 AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThe animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,\u201d Trump posted on his Truth Social<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!\u201d<\/p>\n

Preliminary reports noted that members of the National Guard were targeted and that a\u00a0suspect appeared to be in custody. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

An aerial view of the scene where the shooting occured. Citizen APP<\/p>\n

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the shooting would \u201conly stiffen our resolve<\/a>\u201d as he announced another 500 troops would be deployed to join the more than 2,000 National Guard members in DC.<\/p>\n

At least one of the National Guard service members was administered CPR, law enforcement sources added. The suspect is also now at a DC hospital.<\/p>\n

A ground stop was later issued at Ronald Reagan National Airport outside DC for departing flights over security concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe White House is aware and actively monitoring this tragic situation. The President has been briefed,\u201d White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added in a statement shortly after the barrage of gunfire. <\/p>\n

Members of the US Secret Service were photographed responding to the incident after the shooting in Farragut Square,\u00a0about a five-minute walk from the executive mansion.<\/p>\n

One source counted at least 20 shell casings at the scene immediately afterward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON \u2014 A crazed gunman shot two\u00a0National Guard troops in a cowardly \u201cambush\u201d-style attack \u2014 leaving them in…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":407476,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,7090,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,3677,15037,67,586,132,5230,68,1154,2969,13594],"class_list":{"0":"post-407475","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-national-guard","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-city","12":"tag-newyork","13":"tag-newyorkcity","14":"tag-ny","15":"tag-nyc","16":"tag-shootings","17":"tag-troops","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-us-news","24":"tag-usa","25":"tag-washington-dc"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115619581462147910","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/407476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}