National Guard soldiers shot in Washington DC ‘terror attack’ are named… as Afghan gunman’s chilling 40-hour drive across the country emerges
The names of the two National Guard members shot in Wednesday’s terror attack in Washington, D.C. have been released.
Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Sarah Backstrom, 20, were identified at a news conference Thursday.
Officials said that both guards were taken into surgery and their condition was critical.
D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced that both soldiers were sworn into the National Guard just days before the attack.
The soldiers were ambushed Wednesday while on patrol as part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to clean up D.C. streets.
It was stated that the armed attacker who was detained during the conflict was 29-year-old Afghan soldier Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
Lakanwal was brought to the United States in 2021 as part of Operation Allied Welcome, which saw former president Joe Biden withdraw from Afghanistan and facilitated the issuance of temporary visas to Afghans assisting U.S. Special Forces.
Authorities said at Thursday’s news conference that Lakanwal drove cross-country to D.C. from his home in Bellingham, Washington, before shooting at troopers with a .357 pistol on Wednesday afternoon.
He was shot in the chaotic aftermath of the terrorist attack and remains hospitalized himself, Pirro said, and faces charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and three counts of assault while possessing a firearm during a violent crime.
Andrew Wolfe’s identity was made public Wednesday night at a memorial service held by his former high school, hours after the tragedy occurred just feet from the White House.
20-year-old Sarah Backstrom was also shot in the attack, and it was stated that both she and Wolfe were in critical post-operative condition.
It was announced that the armed attacker who was detained during the conflict was 29-year-old Afghan soldier Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
A spokesperson for Musselman High School identified Wolfe as one of the victims in a touching tribute to Facebook.
“Our Applemen community is deeply saddened to learn that alumnus Andrew Wolfe was one of the National Guard members injured in today’s shooting in Washington, D.C.,” the post said. it said.
Andrew is currently in critical condition and is undergoing surgery. Please keep Andrew, his family and everyone affected in your thoughts.
“Once an Applemen, Always an Applemen,” he said, referring to the school mascot.
Late Wednesday night, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said: Fox News Lakanwal had direct connections to the CIA due to his work with US Special Forces in Afghanistan.
“The Biden administration justified bringing the alleged attacker to the US in September 2021 due to his previous work with the US government, including the CIA,” Ratcliffe admitted.
He said his involvement with the CIA “occurred as a member of a joint force in Kandahar and ended shortly after this chaotic evacuation.”
D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro (left) holds a press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday
Footage emerged from the scene Wednesday showing first responders performing CPR on a soldier who was shot in the head
Like President Trump, Ratcliffe condemned the former administration’s ‘catastrophic’ actions during the Afghanistan withdrawal; this allowed uninspected aliens to enter the United States on temporary visas.
“This person and so many others should never have been allowed to come here,” Ratcliffe said.
‘Our citizens and service members deserve far better than suffering the ongoing consequences of the Biden administration’s devastating failures.’
In response to the attack, President Trump took aim Wednesday night solely at his predecessor, Joe Biden, and the previous administration, insisting the n—.No country can tolerate such a risk to our survival.
‘The suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, the hell on earth.
‘He was flown by the Biden administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights that everyone is talking about. Nobody knew who was coming.
‘His status was expanded under legislation signed by President Biden, a disastrous president, the worst president in our history.’
A law enforcement member with a rifle at the scene near the White House
Trump warned officials: “We must now, under the Biden administration, re-examine every alien entering our country from Afghanistan and take all necessary measures to ensure that any alien who does not belong here or does not benefit our country is removed from any country.”
‘This heinous attack is an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terrorism. This was a crime committed against our entire nation. This was a crime against humanity… This attack underscores the greatest national security threat our nation faces.’
Shortly after his speech, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services indefinitely halted processing of all immigration claims for Afghan citizens, effective immediately, pending further review of security and investigative protocols.
“The protection and security of our homeland and the American people remains our sole focus and mission,” the department said in a statement.
While Trump praised “every member of the United States military deployed tonight, at home and abroad,” he promised that the “animal” who shot the soldiers “will pay a very heavy price.”
He called on all families to ‘pray for the two great heroes who were so horribly shot’.
