Two West Virginia National Guard members deployed to the nation’s capital were shot Wednesday blocks from the White House in what authorities described as an ambush, and a suspect was in custody. Multiple law enforcement sources say the suspect is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national.
The two Guard members were critically wounded, FBI Director Kash Patel said at a news conference. President Donald Trump, who was in Florida at the time, said the suspect was also severely wounded.
A District of Columbia EMS official said paramedics treated three people for gunshot wounds at the scene, and that all three were taken to hospitals.
The two Guard members were patrolling near the Farragut West Metro station when a man came around the corner and shot them, according to Jeffrey Carroll, executive assistant chief at the Metropolitan Police Department.
The shooter, Carroll said, appeared “to be a lone gunman that raised the firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard.”
Other Guard members subdued the suspect, Carroll said. The man was also shot, Carroll said, although it wasn’t clear by whom.
Two law enforcement sources told MS NOW that the FBI’s joint terrorism task force in Washington is leading the investigation and will look at whether this was an act of terrorism.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey initially said on X that both Guard members had died, before saying his office had since received conflicting reports about their conditions.
Trump called in approximately 2,000 National Guard troops from other states to the nation’s capital in August to address what he called “out of control crime.” The District of Columbia sued the administration, and a federal judge earlier this month ruled the deployment illegal, saying the federal government had exceeded its authority.
The ruling is not set to take effect until Dec. 11, however, to allow for appeal proceedings.
About 160 Guard troops from West Virginia remained deployed in the district as of last week, when Morrisey extended their assignment through the end of the year.
“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement,” Trump said on Truth Social after the shooting. “These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”
Ken Dilanian is the justice and intelligence correspondent for MS NOW.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.