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.
Temperatures above 40°C are scorching parts of Central Asia, prompting the World Health Organization to warn that extreme heat is becoming an increas...
The U.S. has imposed new Iran-related sanctions targeting a key financier linked to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and 13 other individuals...
China's technology sector is producing billion-dollar startups at its fastest pace in nearly five years, with artificial intelligence and robotics dri...
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.
It has been a punishing week for large parts of China, and forecasters warn the worst may not be over. After Typhoon Maysak left a trail of destruction and at least 23 people dead, Super Typhoon Bavi is now threatening the country's eastern coast.
At least 12 people have been killed in forest fires in Almeria in southern Spain, Andalucía’s emergency agency has said, as firefighters continue efforts to put out the blaze.
The death toll from Venezuela's twin earthquakes has risen to 3,811, according to figures released by National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez on Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington has agreed to resume talks with Iran after Tehran requested further negotiations, but declared that last month's ceasefire between the two countries was "over".
The U.S. military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war.
China's technology sector is producing billion-dollar startups at its fastest pace in nearly five years, with artificial intelligence and robotics driving a new wave of investment that is reshaping the country's innovation economy.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged China and North Korea to strengthen cooperation and maintain "strategic resolve" amid what he described as growing global instability. He made the remarks during talks with North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song in Beijing on Friday.
British police have arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a former government minister whose death was announced on Friday.
Andy Burnham is on the brink of becoming Labour leader and prime minister after securing the overwhelming backing of Labour MPs in the first round of leadership nominations.
The 4th Shusha Global Media Forum will bring together nearly 160 media leaders, experts and officials from 54 countries in Azerbaijan's historic city of Shusha on 13-14 July, to discuss journalism’s role in peacebuilding, restoring public trust and tackling challenges.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment