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White House locked down after 2 National Guards shot in central Washington; Trump warns suspect 'will pay a very steep price'

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Nov 27, 2025 11:27 AM

Two National Guard members were shot on Wednesday afternoon local time in what appeared to be a "targeted" attack near the White House and are in critical condition, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said. The gunman was also shot and is in custody, authorities said, according to US media reports.

The shooting in the heart of Washington, DC, has prompted officials to lock down multiple government buildings, including the White House, reported USA Today.

According to CNN live updates, the gunman opened fire in Washington, DC's Farragut Square — a tourist-heavy area located near a busy transit center and the White House - on the day before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been identified as the suspect, four senior law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation said, per the NBC News.

CNN News reported that the FBI believes the suspect is from Washington state who appears to have immigrated to the US from Afghanistan in 2021. The suspect applied for asylum in 2024, and it was granted earlier this year.

The FBI will initially investigate the shooting as a possible act of terrorism, according to NBC News citing two senior US law enforcement officials.

Writing on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump described the suspect who allegedly shot two members of the National Guard on Wednesday in dehumanizing terms, calling them an "animal" and saying that they "will pay a very steep price," the NBC News report 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," read the post.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said later on Wednesday that Trump had asked him, and he will in turn ask the Army secretary, to add 500 guard members to Washington after the shooting.

"This will only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington, DC, safe and beautiful," Hegseth told reporters. "But if criminals want to conduct things like this, violence against America's best, we will never back down."

The rare shooting of National Guard members comes as the presence of the troops in the nation's capital and other cities around the country has been a flashpoint issue for months, fueling court fights and a broader public policy debate about the Trump administration's use of the military to combat what officials cast as an out-of-control crime problem, according to media reports.