The President has ordered vetting of all immigrants after the attack.
Washington, DC: President Donald Trump condemned the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House as a "heinous assault" and "an act of terror", and directed the Pentagon to deploy 500 additional troops to the US capital.
The soldiers, members of the West Virginia National Guard, were ambushed on Wednesday afternoon (local time) just a few blocks from the White House. The attack prompted an immediate lockdown of the complex as law enforcement agencies converged on the area.
Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida for Thanksgiving when the incident transpired. "This heinous assault was an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror... It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity," Trump stated.
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was taken into custody after being wounded in an exchange of gunfire. An Afghan national, Lakanwal, reportedly came to the US in 2021 after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. Trump called the suspected gunman an "animal" who would "pay a very steep price" and praised the Guard members who subdued him.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser earlier called the shooting a targeted attack. A Justice Department official said the incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
US ends immigration from AfghanistanThe US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it is immediately suspending all immigration requests for Afghan nationals. The move comes hours after a targeted attack by an Afghan individual on members of the National Guard in Washington DC, near White House. "Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols," the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a post on X. "The protections and safety of our homeland and of the American people remain our singular focus and mission," the post added. |
