Rahmanullah Lakanwal
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
November 27, 2025
The United States will immediately stop all immigration requests relating to Afghanistan after an Afghan national shot and critically wounded two members of the National Guard not far from the White House in Washington, D.C., on November 26.
The suspect, who was wounded in an exchange of gunfire before he was arrested by other National Guard members, has been identified by the Department of Homeland Security as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
US President Donald Trump, who was at his resort in Florida to celebrate Thanksgiving at the time of the attack, released a prerecorded video statement on his Truth Social media account later on November 26 calling the shooting “an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror.”
According to Trump, the suspect arrived in the United States in September 2021 on one of “those infamous flights” — a referral to the evacuation of Afghans after the Taliban regained control following the US withdrawal.
He also added that his administration would “re-examine” all Afghans who came to the United States during Joe Biden’s presidency. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services agency later confirmed on X that “effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols. The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
Several American media outlets reported that Lakanwal had served in the Afghan Army for a decade, supporting US special forces in the war-torn country during that time.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed in a statement that Lakanwal had also worked for the CIA and the US military while in Afghanistan.
The November 26 attack, which took place close to a metro station a few blocks away from the White House, is also expected to put renewed focus on Trump’s controversial move to station national guards to several major US cities in a stated attempt to bring down crime rates around the country.
In a response to the shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said another 500 National Guard members would be added to the 2,000 already stationed in the US capital.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has openly clashed with the presidential administration over the deployment of the National Guard in the capital, described the attack as “horrific and unconscionable” and added that the “suspect is in custody for this targeted shooting and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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