Trump says Afghan man shot two soldiers near White House

AFP/APP

Washington: President Donald Trump said Wednesday that an Afghan man who fled the Taliban was the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House, calling it an “act of terror.”

The announcement, delivered in a brief video message, highlighted the intertwining of three politically explosive issues — Trump’s controversial use of the military at home, immigration, and the legacy of the US war in Afghanistan.

The incident — which left two Guard members critically wounded — was “an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror,” Trump said. “It was a crime against our entire nation.”

He confirmed that the man taken into custody after the daylight shooting, just two blocks from the White House, was “a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan.”

The suspect had arrived in the United States in 2021 “on those infamous flights,” Trump said, referring to the evacuations of Afghans fleeing as the Taliban seized power after the US withdrawal following 20 years of war.

The shocking attack, carried out near a metro station at a busy time in downtown Washington, also renewed scrutiny of Trump’s controversial militarization of his anti-crime campaign.

Trump has deployed troops to several Democrat-run cities — including Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis — sparking lawsuits and protests from local officials who accuse the Republican leader of seeking authoritarian powers.

Trump’s statement also signaled that his aggressive drive to root out migrants living illegally in the country — the core of his domestic agenda — will gain momentum.

“We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under former president Joe Biden,” he said.

“We must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here, or add benefit to our country. If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them.”

Soon after Trump’s address, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) took action.

“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” the agency posted on social media late Wednesday.

‘Ambushed’

Jeffery Carroll, assistant chief of the Washington police, said the gunman “ambushed” the soldiers.

He “came around the corner, raised his arm with a firearm and discharged at the National Guard members,” Carroll said.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the two Guard members were in “critical condition.”

Trump earlier stated on social media that the suspect was “also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price.”

An AFP reporter near the scene heard several loud pops and saw people running. Dozens of bystanders were caught in the chaos.

“We heard gunshots. We were waiting at the traffic light and there were several shots,” said Angela Perry, 42, who was driving home with her two children. “You could see National Guard running toward the metro with their weapons drawn.”

Soon after the shootings, security agents flooded the area. Officers carrying rifles took up positions behind yellow tape as a helicopter circled overhead.

An AFP reporter saw emergency crews rushing into the metro with a wheeled stretcher and emerging moments later with a casualty wearing camouflage, who was loaded into an ambulance.

Safety and vetting

AfghanEvac — a group that helped resettle Afghans in the US after the withdrawal — stressed that Afghan arrivals undergo “some of the most extensive security vetting” of any migrant group.

“This individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community,” said its president, Shawn VanDriver.

Washington’s government buildings are heavily guarded, but the city still struggles with serious street crime.

Trump has turned the capital into a showcase for his decision to deploy National Guard soldiers — in camouflage and sometimes carrying rifles.

In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that 500 more troops would deploy to Washington, bringing the total to 2,500.

Last Thursday, a federal judge ruled that Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in the capital was unlawful.