Trump Condemns Shooting of National Guard Members in Washington as “Act of Terror”
US President Donald Trump strongly condemned the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC on Wednesday, describing the attack as “an act of evil, an act of hatred, and an act of terror.” In a video message issued from Florida, Trump stressed that the assault was not only a crime against the victims but “a crime against our entire nation” and “a crime against humanity.”
The attack, which took place near the White House, left both Guard members in critical condition. Trump said the shooting was carried out in “a monstrous, ambush-style attack.” He added that the suspect, now in custody, had entered the US from Afghanistan in 2021. Trump vowed to ensure that “the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price.”
Citing information from the Department of Homeland Security, Trump said the suspect was “a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on earth,” and that he had been flown into the US by the Biden administration in September 2021. Earlier reports in US media identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
The president called for a renewed review of all individuals who entered the US from Afghanistan under the previous administration, insisting on measures to remove anyone who does not belong in the country or contribute to it.
Trump also announced that he had directed the Pentagon to deploy an additional 500 troops to help secure Washington, DC. Concluding his remarks, he vowed: “We will make America totally safe again, and we will bring the perpetrator of this barbaric attack to swift and certain justice.”
