- Trump calls attack a “terrorist” act, calls shooter a “savage monster.”
- He says security is the top priority and seeks tight controls on immigration.
- He blames the Biden-era immigration enforcement failures for the attack.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Thursday that a National Guard member died after being shot in an ambush by an Afghan national near the White House, an attack that drew accusations from his administration of immigration enforcement failures during the Biden era and prompted a heightened review of asylum cases.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries and her colleague Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life,” Trump said, as investigators conducted what authorities considered a terrorism probe after Wednesday’s shooting.
The FBI searched several properties as part of a broader investigation, including a home in Washington state linked to the suspect, who officials say was part of a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan before coming to the United States in 2021 as part of a resettlement program.
Agents seized numerous electronic devices from the home of the suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, including cell phones, laptops and iPads, and questioned his relatives, FBI Director Kash Patel said at a news conference.
Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the suspect drove across the country and then ambushed Guard members as they patrolled near the White House on Wednesday afternoon.
Trump expresses outrage over attack
“I want to express our entire nation’s anguish and horror at yesterday’s terrorist attack in our nation’s capital, in which a savage monster took down two West Virginia National Guard service members who were deployed as part of the Washington, D.C. Task Force,” Trump said during a Thanksgiving call to the U.S. military.
Trump said the suspect’s “atrocities remind us that we have no greater national security priority than ensuring we have complete control over who enters and stays in our country.”
Armed with a powerful revolver, a .357 Magnum, the gunman shot a fallen limb, then fired again before shooting the second limb several times. The gunman was injured during an exchange of fire with members of the Guard before being arrested. He was in the hospital under heavy guard on Thursday and Trump said he was in serious condition.
The alleged attacker acted alone
The alleged attacker, who lived in Washington state with his wife and five children, appears to have acted alone, said Jeff Carroll, deputy chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department.
