Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal? Afghan Migrant Identified as Washington, DC Shooter

Washington: Authorities have identified 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan migrant from Washington state, as the suspected gunman in Wednesday’s shooting near the White House that left two National Guard soldiers critically injured. The incident unfolded in the early afternoon near 17th and I Streets NW - a high-security zone near the presidential complex.

According to federal officials, Lakanwal allegedly opened fire at around 2:15 PM near 17th and I Streets NW - a high-security zone just steps from the presidential complex, where National Guard personnel were stationed as part of ongoing security deployments in Washington, DC. 

Two national guard soldiers were shot and critically injured in downtown Washington near the white house in what officials described as a targeted ambush, before another officer returned fire and struck the suspect. Lakanwal was taken into custody after suffering gunshot wounds during the attack and remains hospitalized under armed guard. 

Who Is Rahmanullah Lakanwal?

According to officials, Lakanwal arrived in the United States in 2021 under operation Allies welcome, a Biden-era program to resettle thousands of Afghans who assisted the US during the Afghanistan war and were vulnerable to reprisals from the ruling Taliban after the US withdrawal. He was processed through Washington Dulles international airport on September 8 of that year.

Lakanwal applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved on April 23 of this year, according to the official, three months after President Donald Trump took office. He has no criminal history.

Trump also called for his government to re-examine Afghan immigrants who entered the United States during the former President Joe Biden's administration. "This heinous assault was an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror", Trump said in pre-taped remarks from Florida. "We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden".

Federal agencies, including the FBI, are leading the investigation. The shooting is being treated as a possible act of terrorism, one official said. 

Also Read: Washington DC Shooting | Afghan Migrant Identified as Suspect After Attack on National Guard, What We Know So Far