 "National Guard members stand in a cordoned-off area after two National Guard members were shot near the White House in Washington, DC, US, on November 26, 2025. (Photo: Nathan Howard/Reuters)")
Two National Guard soldiers were on Wednesday shot near White House in a targeted attack. They remain in critical condition.
The attack took place in the heavily populated area near the Farragut Metro stop at around 2:15 pm, which is just a few blocks from the White House.
Law enforcement officials described the attack as an ambush-style attack and said 10 to 15 bullets were fired. They said a suspect had been taken into custody.
Following the attack, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said 500 more National Guard personnel will be deployed to Washington DC. The administration’s deployment of National Guard to cities has been controversial and seen as political retribution and intimidation.
National Guard soldiers were on patrol at time of attack
National Guard personnel were on “high visibility patrols” when the suspect walked around a corner, raised a firearm, and then shot the two National Guard members, according to Jeff Carroll, the Executive Assistant Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.
“We have reviewed video from the area. It appears, like I said, to be a lone gunman that raised the firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard, and he was quickly taken into custody by other National Guard members and law enforcement members,” said Carroll, according to CBS News.
After the shots were fired, other National Guard members were able to rush to their colleagues’ side, said Carrol.
“There were other National Guard members that were in the area. They were able to, after some back and forth, able to subdue the individual and bring him into custody,” said Carroll.
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View AllThere was no other person suspected to be believed in the attack and the authorities were investigating all aspects of the suspect and his possible connections, said Carroll.
Soldiers shot in head, suspect believed to be Afghan: Reports
The suspect has been identified as 29-year-old Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, according to The New York Times.
Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 through a program known as Operation Allies Welcome that was meant to facilitate the entry of Afghans fleeing the Taliban’s takeover of the country, two people familiar with the case told The Times.
CBS News reported sources as saying that the suspect was shot four times and was taken to a hospital in police custody.
Both the National Guard soldiers were shot in the head, sources told NBC News.
Sources also said that the attack could be investigated as an act of terrorism. However, they added that no clear motive had been established.