A National Guard member has died Thursday evening after being shot near the White House on Wednesday in an ambush that investigators say was carried out by an Afghan national.
President Donald Trump has blamed the attack on what he called Biden-era immigration vetting failures.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died of her wounds and her fellow Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, 24, was "fighting for his life," Trump said, as investigators conducted what officials said was a terrorism probe after Wednesday's shooting.
Whilst in Florida for Thanksgiving, President Trump said, "She's just passed away. She's no longer with us. She's looking down on us right now. Her parents are with her. It's just happened. She was savagely attacked. She's dead now with this terrible person. Outstanding in every single way, in every department."
"I want to express the anguish and the horror of our entire nation that the terrorist attack yesterday in our nation's capital, in which a savage monster gunned down two service members in the West Virginia National Guard, who were deployed as part of the DC Task Force," Trump added in his first live remarks since the shooting.
The FBI searched multiple properties in a widening investigation, including a home in Washington state linked to the suspect, who officials said was part of a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan before coming to the U.S. in 2021 under a resettlement programme.
Agents seized numerous electronic devices from the residence of the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, including cellphones, laptops, and iPads, and interviewed his relatives, FBI Director Kash Patel told a news conference.
U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro said the suspect drove cross-country and then ambushed the Guard members while they were patrolling near the White House on Wednesday afternoon.
Casting blame on the administration of his White House predecessor, President Joe Biden, Trump said the alleged gunman, who he described as having gone "cuckoo," was among thousands of Afghans who came in unvetted as the U.S. carried out a chaotic withdrawal in 2021.
Trump said the suspect's "atrocity reminds us that we have no greater national security priority than ensuring that we have full control over the people that enter and remain in our country."
The alleged assailant, who lived in Washington state with his wife and five children, appeared to have acted alone, said Jeff Carroll, executive assistant chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department.
Asked whether he was planning to deport the suspect's wife and five children who live in Washington state, Trump said, "We're looking at the whole situation with family."
The programme in which the suspect entered the U.S. was designed with vetting procedures, including by U.S. counter-terrorism and intelligence agencies. It allowed in more than 70,000 Afghan nationals, according to a congressional report.
But the large scale and rushed nature of the evacuations of Afghans led critics to say the background checks were inefficient.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The ...
Farmers in France staged protests on Saturday (13 December) over the culling of cattle linked to an outbreak of nodular dermatitis, commonly known as ...
Police in Berlin dispersed a protest on Saturday evening after around one thousand demonstrators gathered against alleged police violence....
Street clashes broke out for a second night in the Tunisian city of Kairouan after a man died following a police pursuit, raising fears of wider unres...
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says international cooperation is essential for Syria’s recovery as investment slowly begins to return despite ...
The suspect in a fatal shooting targeting two U.S. National Guard members in Washington, D.C., will be charged with first-degree murder following the death of one of the victims, media reports said on Friday.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 28th of November, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro has identified the injured Guardsmen as Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, and said they were still in critical condition following surgeries
Two National Guard soldiers were shot and critically wounded on Wednesday in downtown Washington near the White House in what officials described as a targeted ambush.
The Oligarch’s Design is an investigative documentary exploring how financial power, political influence and carefully constructed narratives can shape conflict and public perception.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his offer to host Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Ankara, at his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The talks took place on the sidelines of the international Forum for Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (12 December).
Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker carrying more than 6 million litres of smuggled fuel in the Sea of Oman, detaining all 18 crew members on board.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
Russian forces struck Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa for a second consecutive day on Saturday (13 December), deploying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles for the first time in the conflict, Ukrainian authorities said.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
Farmers in France staged protests on Saturday (13 December) over the culling of cattle linked to an outbreak of nodular dermatitis, commonly known as lumpy skin disease (LSD).
Police in Berlin dispersed a protest on Saturday evening after around one thousand demonstrators gathered against alleged police violence.
Street clashes broke out for a second night in the Tunisian city of Kairouan after a man died following a police pursuit, raising fears of wider unrest as the country nears the anniversary of the 2011 revolution.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says international cooperation is essential for Syria’s recovery as investment slowly begins to return despite the scale of destruction after years of conflict.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment