A 29-year-old Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who previously worked alongside American forces during the war against the Taliban and was granted resettlement in the United States after the chaotic 2021 withdrawal, carried out a premeditated ambush Wednesday evening mere blocks from the White House. Armed with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, Lakanwal approached two uniformed National Guard soldiers stationed near a subway entrance and began firing without provocation, federal authorities confirmed.

The soldiers, part of President Donald Trump’s contested deployment of military personnel to Democrat-led cities to combat violent crime, were struck multiple times at close range. One collapsed immediately; the shooter then leaned over the fallen guardsman and fired additional rounds. Fellow troops on scene responded instantly, engaging and subduing Lakanwal before he could inflict further harm. Both victims remain in critical condition at a Washington hospital.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jean Pirro announced charges of assault with intent to kill, emphasizing that counts will escalate to first-degree murder should either soldier succumb to their wounds. During a tense news conference, Pirro declared that the suspect had chosen the wrong target, the wrong city, and the wrong country for such an attack.

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FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed Thursday that the incident is now the subject of a comprehensive international terrorism investigation. Agents are aggressively tracing Lakanwal’s communications, travel history, and associations both domestically and in Afghanistan to establish whether the ambush was the act of a lone individual or linked to a broader extremist network.

The brazen daylight assault on the eve of Thanksgiving has heightened security concerns around the White House complex and reignited fierce political debate over the domestic deployment of federal troops, casting a long shadow over national holiday observances.

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