Trump vows to step up deportations after National Guard members shot near White House
The suspect has been arrested, and the two officers are in a critical condition. At the time of the incident, President Trump was in Florida
U.S. President Donald Trump has called the Wednesday shooting attack against two service members from the National Guard an “act of terror” and pledged to intensify deportation efforts.
The two members of the National Guard were injured in a shooting at the entrance of Farragut West station, one of the busiest in downtown Washington. Located at the intersection of 17th and I streets, it is less than 500 meters from the White House.
The shooting was confirmed on X by the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. Patrick Morrissey, governor of West Virginia, announced just over an hour later the deaths of the two soldiers. They were members of that state’s National Guard and were in the capital as part of a deployment ordered by the U.S. government.
Later, Morrissey backtracked, announcing that there were “conflicting reports” and that he would provide more details when they became available. Bowser confirmed in a press conference that the victims were in critical condition.
Authorities have detained a suspect, who is in critical condition, according to U.S. President Donald Trump. The Department of Homeland Security has identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
It was 20 minutes before 3:00 p.m. (local time) when the sound of sirens from dozens of police cars filled the streets of downtown Washington, which was quiet, given the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed the incident shortly afterward, though it did not immediately provide further details.
Trump was not in the city at the time of the shooting. The president had traveled Tuesday night to his residence at Mar-a-Lago, in West Palm Beach, Florida, to spend the long Thanksgiving weekend there. The holiday is celebrated this Thursday, the fourth Thursday of November, across the country.
“The 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,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “God 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!”
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance urged “everybody who’s a person of faith” to pray for the two Guardsmen.
The White House was immediately placed on alert, and both entry and exit were suspended until further notice. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had been briefed on the “tragic situation.”
The area of the attack was quickly filled with officers from the various agencies that patrol the city. By shortly before 3:30 p.m., there were already around a hundred, joined by dozens of journalists and a large number of onlookers. A helicopter hovered overhead.
Eiden, a 28-year-old U.S. citizen, and his wife Gala, a Spaniard from Barcelona, were out shopping when the incident occurred. “It sounded like fireworks, and since it was a holiday, I didn’t think it was anything. Later I realized it was. I was scared; it felt like a movie,” she said. Her husband added: “I want to believe it was just a madman and that he didn’t mean to kill those guards. The alternative would be much more dangerous and destabilizing for the country.”
The National Guard has been deployed in the city since last August, on Trump’s orders, who sent in the troops to combat crime — despite falling crime rates — and also to assist in immigration raids.
The first contingent deployed in the capital consisted of 800 National Guard soldiers, later reinforced by units from six Republican-leaning states, which doubled that number. The Pentagon authorized them to carry weapons within the city.
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