White House shooting LIVE: US halts all immigration requests of Afghan nationals

The 29-year-old suspect, an Afghan national, entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the US withdrawal from the country, officials said.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday's “heinous assault” on two National Guard members near the White House proves that lax migration policies are “the single greatest national security threat facing our nation."

“No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival,” he said.

Jeffery Carroll, assistant chief of the Washington police, said the gunman "ambushed" his victims, as per AFP. He "came around the corner, raised his arm with a firearm and discharged at the National Guard members."

The suspect has been identified as a 29-year-old Afghan national who had been residing in Bellingham, Washington, a city near the Canadian border, according to a person familiar with the investigation, Bloomberg reported.

Stacy Walters said she was in a car when she heard two gunshots and saw people running. Almost immediately, law enforcement arrived in force. “It’s such a beautiful day. Who would do this? And we’re getting ready for the holidays?” she said, according to AP.

Emma McDonald, who had just exited a metro station after the shots rang out, said she and a friend took shelter with others in a café. McDonald told AP that minutes later she saw first responders carrying a stretcher with a National Guard member whose head was covered in blood.

Trump in his address declared the “savage attack” near the White House an “act of terror” as he vowed action against illegal immigration into the US.

Sharpening his attack on illegal immigration into the US, Trump said: “We must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country. If they can’t love our country, we don't want 'em.”

Signalling a stricter crackdown against illegal immigrants, Trump said that the US must 're-examine every single alien’ who entered the country from Afghanistan under former President Biden.

"We’re not going to put up with these kinds of assaults on law and order by people who shouldn't even be in our country," said Trump.

US President Donald Trump in his address confirmed that the suspect in the attack was an Afghan national who had entered the US in 2021 and vowed more action against illegal immigrants.

US President Donald Trump is set to address the nation shortly.

“I will be speaking on the horrific attack on our Great National Guard Warriors, at 9:15 P.M., sharp. Thank you for your attention to this matter. GOD BLESS AMERICA!,” Trump said on Truth Social.

In a post on X, former US President Barack Obama condemned the attack near the White House.

“Violence has no place in America. Michelle and I are praying for the servicemembers shot in Washington, DC today, and send our love to their families as they enter this holiday season under the most tragic of circumstances,” wrote the former US President.

Law enforcement officials have recovered a handgun believed to have been used by the suspect in the attack, CNN reported.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is probing the attack as a possible act of terrorism, AFP reported.

Reports from NBC and The Washington Post said that the Afghan national behind the attack had lived in Washington state after arriving in the US.

AP reported that the suspect behind the attack, who is now in custody, has injuries that are not life-threatening.

The gunman who shot two National Guard members near the White House was ID'd as a 29-year-old Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, New York Post reported citing sources.

Reportedly, Lakanwal came into the US during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Official confirmation of the attacker's identity is yet to come in, but the Associated Press (AP) has also reported that the shooter was an Afghan national.

President Donald Trump called the Washington DC shooter an “animal” and informed that the National Guard soldiers have been admitted in two separate hospitals. He also said that the gunman will pay a “steep price”.

In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump said, “The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price.”

The shooting happened near the White House in Washington DC on Wednesday, November 26, evening. Metropolitan Police Assistant Chief Jeff Carroll said the Guard soldiers were part of a "high-visibility patrol" near the corner of 17th and I streets, a few blocks from the White House, when the suspect came around a corner and "ambushed" them. After an exchange of gunfire, other Guard members were able to subdue the suspect.