• Two National Guard members were critically injured in a shooting near the White House.
• The suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021.
• President Trump announced an additional deployment of 500 National Guard members in response to the incident.
• The shooting has been described as a "targeted attack" and is being investigated as a potential act of terrorism.
• Governor Morrisey confirmed the victims are from the West Virginia National Guard.

On Wednesday, two members of the National Guard were shot near the White House in Washington, D.C., during a "targeted attack." The incident occurred around 2:15 p.m. local time, when the suspect approached the Guard members and opened fire, hitting both critically. They were quickly taken to a hospital and remain in critical condition, according to officials from the Metropolitan Police and various news outlets sfgate, huffpost, and indiatimes.

The shooter was later identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who reportedly came to the U.S. in 2021 through a program known as Operation Allies Welcome. This initiative allowed Afghans who supported U.S. forces during the Afghanistan conflict to enter the United States. Law enforcement sources indicate Lakanwal was shot during the encounter and subsequently taken into custody reuters, aljazeera, and abcnews.

In the wake of the shooting, President Donald Trump condemned the attack, labeling it as an "act of terror." He ordered an increase of 500 National Guard troops to D.C. for added security and announced a pause on processing immigration requests for Afghan nationals pending further review. Trump's administration has faced scrutiny for the deployment of Guard members to Washington, D.C., which he argues is necessary due to rising crime huffpost, lemonde, and abcnews.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene as the shooting unfolded, with pedestrians fleeing the area near Farragut Square, a bustling location close to the White House. Local law enforcement responded swiftly, cordoning off the scene and working quickly to apprehend the shooter channelnewsasia and vox.