Two National Guard Members Were Shot

On November 26, 2025, at approximately 3:00 p.m. ET, two U.S. National Guard soldiers were shot in a targeted ambush near Farragut Square, just blocks from the White House in downtown Washington, DC. The victims, both male members of the West Virginia National Guard, were hospitalized in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds. At least one soldier returned fire during the incident.

The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, approached the soldiers from around a corner and opened fire with a handgun. Lakanwal, who entered the U.S. in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome and was granted asylum in 2025, was shot by responding officers and taken into custody at the scene. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is hospitalized under guard. Authorities recovered the weapon, and the FBI is leading the investigation as a potential domestic terrorism case.