The suspect in the shooting incident near White House in Washington, in which two National Guard men were injured, is a migrant from Afghanistan who came to the United States in 2021, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday.
Trump also called for his government to re-examine Afghan immigrants who entered the United States during the former President Joe Biden's administration.
"This heinous assault was an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror," Trump said in pre-taped remarks from Florida. "We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden."
Meanwhile, US media reports claimed that the accused is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, who entered the country under Operation Allies Welcome and resettled in Bellingham, Washington.
Officials are still verifying all his details, and the motive remains unclear.
Operation Allies was a Biden-era programme to resettle thousands of Afghans who assisted the US during the Afghanistan war and were vulnerable to reprisals from the ruling Taliban after the US withdrawal.
Lakanwal reportedly applied for asylum in December 2024, and his request was approved on April 23 of this year, three months after President Donald Trump took office. He has no criminal history.
Quoting law enforcement sources, the New York Post reported that Lakanwal was allegedly lying in wait before he rounded the corner near the Farragut West Metro Station in Northwest DC around 2:15 pm, then opened fire, striking a female guard in the chest before shooting her in the head.
He then allegedly fired at the second guard before a third guard stationed nearby rushed to the area and took him down.
Condemning the incident, Trump earlier wrote on X that the culprit will have to pay a heavy price.
"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," he said.