A man appeared around a corner and immediately began firing
En las horas previas al Día de Acción de Gracias, dos miembros de la Guardia Nacional cayeron heridos de gravedad a pocas cuadras de la Casa Blanca, víctimas de lo que las autoridades describieron como una emboscada deliberada. El presunto atacante, un afgano de 29 años con asilo concedido en 2024, fue reducido en el lugar por otros soldados. El incidente irrumpe en un momento ya cargado de tensión institucional, en el que el despliegue militar en ciudades estadounidenses enfrenta impugnaciones judiciales y un debate político sin resolver sobre los límites del poder federal.
- Un hombre apareció de improviso tras una esquina y abrió fuego contra soldados uniformados en plena luz del día, a dos cuadras de la residencia presidencial.
- Los dos guardias nacionales heridos permanecen hospitalizados en estado crítico, mientras la confusión inicial sobre su muerte generó una cadena de declaraciones contradictorias de funcionarios estatales y federales.
- Trump calificó el ataque de terrorismo desde Florida y apuntó directamente a las políticas migratorias de Biden como causa raíz, prometiendo consecuencias severas para el atacante.
- El Pentágono respondió desplegando 500 guardias adicionales en Washington, intensificando una presencia militar que ya supera los 2.200 efectivos en la capital y que un juez federal ordenó retirar la semana pasada.
- La identidad del sospechoso —afgano, residente en Washington state, con asilo reciente— se convirtió de inmediato en el centro del debate político, mientras los investigadores aún no establecían un móvil claro.
Dos miembros de la Guardia Nacional fueron baleados el miércoles por la tarde cerca de la Casa Blanca, en lo que las autoridades describieron como un ataque premeditado. El tiroteo ocurrió a dos cuadras al noroeste de la residencia presidencial, junto a una estación de metro, y quedó registrado en cámaras de vigilancia: un hombre dobló una esquina y abrió fuego de inmediato contra los soldados. Otros guardias cercanos escucharon los disparos, se acercaron al atacante y lo redujeron antes de que pudiera huir.
El sospechoso fue identificado como Rahmanullah Lakanwal, de 29 años, residente en el estado de Washington. Según las autoridades, es ciudadano afgano que ingresó al país en 2021, solicitó asilo en 2024 y lo obtuvo a principios de este año. Fue detenido en el lugar con heridas leves. La alcaldesa de Washington, Muriel Bowser, afirmó que se trató de un ataque dirigido, aunque la policía reconoció que aún no tenía información sobre el móvil.
El incidente estalló en medio de una disputa legal y política en curso. La administración Trump ha desplegado cerca de 2.200 guardias nacionales en Washington como parte de operaciones conjuntas en varias ciudades del país. Una jueza federal ordenó el fin del despliegue la semana pasada, pero suspendió su propia orden por 21 días para dar tiempo a una retirada o apelación. En ese intervalo, los soldados han estado patrullando barrios, controlando autopistas y cubriendo eventos deportivos.
Trump, que pasaba el Día de Acción de Gracias en Florida, calificó el ataque de terrorismo y culpó a las políticas migratorias de la administración Biden. El secretario de Defensa Pete Hegseth anunció el despliegue inmediato de 500 guardias adicionales. La confusión inicial fue notable: el gobernador de Virginia Occidental llegó a declarar que ambos soldados habían muerto, para luego retractarse. Al cierre de la jornada, los dos guardias permanecían hospitalizados en estado crítico y el sospechoso estaba detenido con heridas leves, mientras la investigación apenas comenzaba.
Two National Guard members lay in separate hospitals Wednesday evening, both in critical condition after being shot near the White House in what authorities quickly characterized as a deliberate ambush. The shooting occurred just two blocks northwest of the presidential residence, near a Metro station, in broad daylight on a street that has become increasingly militarized over recent months.
What happened in those seconds was captured on surveillance video. A man appeared around a corner and immediately began firing at the uniformed troops. Other soldiers nearby heard the gunfire and moved toward the shooter, restraining him before he could flee. Jeffrey Carroll, the deputy chief of the Washington DC police, described it as the work of a single attacker who had deliberately positioned himself to strike. Whether one of the National Guard members or a police officer returned fire remained unclear in the immediate aftermath, though at least one guard exchanged shots with the gunman, according to law enforcement sources.
The suspect was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, a resident of Washington state. Trump announced that evening that Lakanwal was an Afghan national who had entered the United States in 2021. According to reporting, Lakanwal had applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted it earlier this year. He was detained at the scene with injuries that law enforcement described as non-serious. Investigators had no clear motive at that point, though Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington DC stated firmly that this was a targeted attack.
The shooting landed in the middle of an already contentious moment. Trump's administration has deployed National Guard troops across multiple American cities as part of what it frames as a response to unchecked crime. In Washington itself, nearly 2,200 Guard members are currently assigned to joint task force operations. An emergency order issued by Trump in August federalized local police and brought in troops from eight states plus the District of Columbia. A federal judge ordered the deployment ended last week but suspended her own order for 21 days to allow the administration time to withdraw the troops or appeal. During that window, Guard members have been patrolling neighborhoods, manning highway checkpoints, collecting trash, and securing sporting events.
Trump, who was in Florida for Thanksgiving, called the shooting an act of terrorism and used it to blame the Biden administration's immigration policies. He promised the shooter would pay a high price. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called it a cowardly act and announced that 500 additional Guard members would be deployed to Washington immediately. Vice President JD Vance urged people of faith to pray for the two wounded soldiers and reflected on the role of military personnel as the nation's shield.
Initial confusion clouded the immediate aftermath. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey first stated that both Guard members had been killed, then retracted the statement as conflicting reports came in about their condition. Trump himself said both the guards and the shooter were in critical condition. By evening, the clearer picture was that the two soldiers remained hospitalized in critical condition while the suspect was in custody with non-serious injuries.
The investigation was just beginning, with many details still unknown. Police said they had no information yet about what motivated the attack. The identity and background of the shooter would become central to the political response, with the administration pointing to immigration as the core issue and critics questioning whether a single incident should reshape policy around military deployment in American cities. What remained certain was that two soldiers were fighting for their lives, and the already fraught question of how the military should operate within the nation's capital had become more urgent and more contested.
Notable Quotes
This was a targeted attack— Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington DC
The animal that shot the two National Guard members will pay a very high price— President Trump
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did the mayor call this a targeted attack when investigators said they didn't know the motive?
She was reading the tactical facts—a man appeared from around a corner and immediately opened fire on uniformed troops. That's not random. That's positioning. Whether he had a specific grievance or ideology, the method itself was deliberate.
The confusion about whether the guards were dead or alive—how does that happen in 2025?
Initial reports from officials, contradictory information flowing in real time, a governor speaking before he had confirmed facts. It happens faster than clarity can catch up. The fog of the immediate moment.
Trump blamed Biden's immigration policy within hours. Did he know anything about the shooter's actual motive?
No. He was using the facts he had—Afghan national, entered in 2021, granted asylum—to make a political argument. Whether that argument holds depends on what the investigation finds about why this man did what he did.
Why were there National Guard troops patrolling near the White House in the first place?
Because Trump deployed them across the city as part of his crime response strategy. They're on the streets, at checkpoints, in neighborhoods. That's the policy. This shooting happened inside that policy.
What does 500 additional troops accomplish after an attack has already occurred?
Symbolically, it shows force and resolve. Practically, it increases presence and visibility. Whether it prevents the next attack or simply makes the city feel more militarized depends on your perspective.
The judge suspended her own order to end the deployment. What does that tell you?
That even those skeptical of the military presence recognized the political and security moment. Twenty-one days to sort it out. But those days are now happening with fresh blood on the ground.