A gunman ambushed and shot two National Guardsmen this afternoon, within a few blocks of the White House. News reports indicate that both are in critical condition. There are conflicting reports as to whether either or both have died, but I don’t believe that has been confirmed as of this writing.
This is the “suspect”:
Alleged photo of the suspect involved in today’s shooting possibly targeting two members of the National Guard, being loaded into an ambulance near the White House in Washington, D.C. pic.twitter.com/0bEDE0QGsb
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 26, 2025
The suspect was shot by law enforcement. I don’t know why he is mostly unclothed in the photograph. Reportedly, he was not carrying identification and has not been cooperative with law enforcement. As of this writing, he has not been identified.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has announced that an additional 500 National Guard troops will be deployed to D.C.
My default assumption is that these shootings were motivated by the Democratic Party’s over-the-top and utterly dishonest attacks on, among other things, President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to high-crime environments, including Washington, D.C., along with their general incitement to lawlessness and violence. But possibly that will not turn out to be true. Time will tell.
UPDATE: From the New York Post:
The crazed gunman who shot two National Guard troops in a possible terror attack near the White House Wednesday has been identified as a 29-year-old Afghan national who came to the US during the chaotic 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, law enforcement sources told The Post.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal was allegedly lying in wait before he rounded the corner near the Farragut West Metro Station in Northwest DC around 2:15 p.m., then opened fire, striking a female guard in the chest before shooting her in the head, according to law enforcement sources.
Also:
The Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guardsmen in a possible terror attack near the White House Wednesday was living in the US illegally after overstaying his visa, sources told The Post.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, arrived in the US through Operation Allies Welcome, the botched 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal plan that allowed roughly 90,000 Afghans to obtain Special Immigration Visas under the Biden Administration, sources said.
But Lakanwal, who resettled in Bellingham, Washington, reportedly overstayed his visa, which expired in September, FOX News correspondent Bill Melugin reported, citing federal law enforcement sources.
