Suspect in D.C. National Guard shooting identified as 29-year-old Afghan national. Here's what we know.

A 29-year-old Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, has been identified as the suspect in a shocking shooting incident near the White House on Wednesday. The Department of Homeland Security revealed that Lakanwal entered the United States four years ago under Operation Allies Welcome, a program initiated by President Biden to welcome tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees.

According to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Lakanwal was paroled into the US in 2021 on humanitarian grounds. He later applied for asylum and had his application granted in 2025, although his request for a green card remains pending.

Eyewitness accounts suggest that Lakanwal was a lone gunman who ambushed two National Guard troops near a mass transit station in downtown DC. The first victim, a female Guard member, sustained at least two gunshot wounds and collapsed after being shot immediately. The second Guard member was also struck, although details on the extent of his injuries are not yet clear.

In a bizarre twist, Lakanwal had initially four rounds of ammunition in his handgun but was subdued by another Guard member who took him into custody. Despite being shot himself, he is currently hospitalized.

The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, and authorities say Lakanwal is not cooperating with investigators at this time. The two wounded National Guard members are listed as being in critical condition.

This incident has sent shockwaves through Washington DC, and President Trump has described Lakanwal as a "foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on Earth."

Man... the world is just so complicated, you know? This shooting incident near the White House is like, what's the point of it all? We welcome people into our country for humanitarian reasons, but then they're still not fully a part of our society. Like, Rahmanullah Lakanwal was given parole and asylum, but his green card application is still pending... does that mean he's somehow less American than everyone else?

And what about the fact that he had four rounds of ammunition in his handgun? That just shows us how easily things can escalate into chaos. We're all just one bad decision away from becoming a statistic. And now, we have two wounded National Guard members and a suspect who's being hospitalized after getting shot himself... it's like, what are we even doing?

And then President Trump comes out with this statement about Afghanistan being a "hellhole on Earth"... that's just not the point. The point is that there's a human being in pain and hurt because of our actions. Or lack thereof. We're so caught up in our own fears and biases that we forget about the person right in front of us...

I'm not buying the whole 'Operation Allies Welcome' thing. Four years ago? That's like, what, an easy visa to get? It just doesn't add up. And now this guy shows up and goes ballistic near the White House? I mean, I'm all for helping people in need, but this just feels too convenient. What if he was never actually in need of asylum? What if he was just looking for an easy way in? The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that our immigration system is a mess .

I don't get why people are so quick to judge this guy. He's been living in the US for years, got asylum, and is trying to build a life here. Four years ago he was just a refugee looking for safety, not some mastermind shooter . We should be understanding and compassionate towards people who have fled war zones and are trying to start anew.

It's also weird that we're focusing on his nationality and the fact that he was in Afghanistan when making our judgment. What if he wasn't even born there? What about all the other Afghans living here, contributing members of society?

Can we please try to separate the suspect from the issue at hand? Let's not jump to conclusions or make assumptions based on limited info. We need facts and a fair investigation to figure out what really happened .

It's disheartening to see this kind of rhetoric coming from someone like President Trump, who should know better. We're living in a world where people are trying to come together and rebuild, not tear each other apart .

This is just great, another random guy with no background check showing up here. I mean, what were they thinking? Four years ago he's paroled into the US under humanitarian grounds and now he's a lone gunman trying to take out our National Guardsmen? And the fact that he was able to get a green card request granted in 2025 is just mind-boggling. What are we even doing here? And of course, President Trump is all over it like a bad rash, calling him a "foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan". Like that's some kind of explanation for what happened. It's just a convenient way to stoke the fires of xenophobia and keep people on edge.

OMG, like what's going on with this guy?! He just walks into the US under Operation Allies Welcome and now he's out here committing a major crime ! I'm still trying to wrap my head around how he got parole and asylum without anyone noticing something fishy . And now, President Trump is all like "he's a hellhole on Earth" ... what even is that? Can we please just focus on the victims and get them the help they need ?!

What a heinous act of violence against the innocent! The notion that someone with such a complex history could harbor such extremist views is truly disconcerting . I mean, one can only assume that his tumultuous past, marked by trauma and displacement, contributed to his warped perception of reality.

It's striking how the administration has framed this incident, casting Lakanwal as a 'foreigner' rather than a human being with inherent dignity and worth. The language used by President Trump, in particular, reeks of xenophobic rhetoric, which only serves to further polarize an already divided society .

Furthermore, one cannot help but wonder how the US immigration system failed Lakanwal so utterly, leaving him without proper support or resources to cope with his circumstances. This incident highlights the need for a more nuanced and compassionate approach to addressing the root causes of radicalization, rather than simply stigmatizing individuals who have been victimized by circumstance .

this is all so fishy... I mean, think about it. Operation Allies Welcome, huh? Sounds like some kinda backdoor deal to me. And now we got a shooting incident near the White House, and suddenly this Afghan national is the prime suspect? It's just too convenient. What if he wasn't actually trying to do harm? Maybe he was framed or something. And what about President Trump's comment about Afghanistan being a "hellhole on Earth"? That's some pretty loaded language right there... doesn't exactly sound like an objective assessment of the situation. I'm not saying this guy is innocent, but let's not jump to conclusions just yet, you know?

omg i cant even process what's going on rn... like how did this guy get so far without anyone noticing he was trouble? i mean, he was paroled into the US 4 years ago and had asylum granted last year but still nobody knew about a potential threat? what kind of system is that?

and president trump saying stuff about afghanistan being a hellhole... like doesnt he know its people are humans too? i mean, hes always going on about america first and all that but now hes basically stigmatizing an entire country.

anywayz back to this guy... Rahmanullah Lakanwal... his name is so hard to pronounce lol do you guys think he'll get justice or just get a slap on the wrist?

OMG, like what's going on here?! This is so crazy! I mean, I get it that security is super important but not even like, 4 years ago, Rahmanullah Lakanwal just shows up at the White House and starts shooting? That's wild. And now he's in hospital and they still don't know why he did it... Like what was going through his head? The fact that he got a green card too is like, super confusing... wasn't that meant to be some kind of reward for helping the Afghan people or something? Anyway, gotta feel bad for those National Guardsmen who were hurt. They're literally fighting for our country and this happens.

I mean, what's going on with this guy? He just shows up out of nowhere, gets into the US under some humanitarian program, and then goes and shoots two people. It's like he just lost all sense of reality or something . And now his lawyer is saying that maybe there was a mental health issue at play... I don't know, man. This whole thing feels super suspicious to me. Like, why did this guy even get into the US in the first place? What were they thinking back then?

can you believe what's going on? like, this guy is just shot by the National Guard near the White House and now everyone's freaking out. but have you guys seen the way the media's portraying him? it's all negative vibes - "foreigner from a hellhole" yeah, okay, sure . we should be talking about how this happened and not jumping to conclusions based on his nationality or where he came from.

and what's with the whole "Operation Allies Welcome" thing? like, isn't that supposed to be about helping people in need? it seems kinda messed up that someone who was supposed to be getting help ends up causing harm. anyway, I guess we'll have to wait and see how this all plays out...

This is getting crazy ... I mean, what's going on with this guy? He comes into the US under Operation Allies Welcome and gets humanitarian parole in 2021? And then he's granted asylum in 2025? It's like a never-ending loop of bureaucratic loopholes. And now we're talking about a shooting incident near the White House? Unbelievable. The fact that he had four rounds of ammo and was still subdued by another Guard member is mind-blowing. What was going through his head, huh?

omg can't believe this is happenin in dc i was out walking near the white house yesterday evening and it's crazy to think a guy like that could just walk into the city with a gun and cause all this damage. how did he even get in here? four years ago under operation allies welcome? what does that even mean? the whole thing is just so messed up. i feel bad for the two national guard members who got shot, they were just doing their job . and now president trump is talkin about him like he's some kinda enemy, but we don't even know what his motives were yet . can't we just focus on findin out what happened here instead of makin assumptions?