Trump blasts Biden for flying in Afghan man arrested over DC National Guard shooting during the disastrous 2021 US withdrawal – as he orders mass re-screening of migrants

President Donald Trump criticized former president Joe Biden as a ‘disaster’ for allowing the suspect who shot the National Guard while withdrawing his troops from Afghanistan to enter the USA.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, has been named as the alleged gunman in custody in a gunfight that left two soldiers in critical condition just meters from the White House in Washington, DC.

While Trump criticized Biden for allowing Lakanwal to reside in the US, he said the American people were filled with “righteous anger and tremendous determination.”

‘No country can tolerate such a risk to our survival,’ he said. ‘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.’

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.’

Lakanwal allegedly arrived in the US during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 as part of Joe Biden’s Operation Welcome Allies.

The operation aimed to resettle vulnerable Afghans, including those who aided the United States during the war. Lakanwal appears to reside in Bellingham, Washington.

Biden has long defended the disastrous withdrawal that cost the lives of 13 Americans and weakened the U.S.-backed Afghan government against the Taliban, ultimately allowing the terror group to regain control.

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’.

Authorities said the suspect was shot and was treated at the hospital. According to CNN, police seized a gun believed to have been used in the attack from the scene.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the two soldiers were being treated at a local hospital after West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey created confusion by earlier announcing the soldiers’ deaths before retracting his statement.

Graphic images from the scene showed a soldier lying wounded on the pavement, bleeding from his head, while a Secret Service agent gave him medical attention.

A US Capitol Police helicopter is seen evacuating a National Guard shooting victim on the National Mall

A wounded soldier in the back of an ambulance after being shot near the White House

FBI Director Kash Patel speaks at a news conference after two National Guard members were shot near the White House

An unidentified soldier was seen on a stretcher inside the ambulance, receiving medical attention at the scene.

When a helicopter landed on the National Mall to evacuate one of the injured National Guard members, the FBI, ATF and Secret Service rushed to the scene.

Trump has deployed 2,300 National Guard troops to D.C. since August as part of his promise to combat rampant crime in the nation’s capital.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the president ordered the deployment of an additional 500 troops following Wednesday’s attack, calling it a “cowardly, despicable act targeting America’s best.”

Following the shooting, the president wrote to Truth Social: ‘God bless our Great National Guard, our entire Army and Law Enforcement.

‘These are truly Great People. ‘I, the President of the United States, and all those associated with the Office of the President, stand with you!’

Law enforcement sources told CNN that the suspected shooter was not cooperating with officers.

According to sources, the suspect first appeared to target the soldiers by shooting at one of the guards who was just a few feet away.

Lakanwal then allegedly shot at another guard who tried to get behind a bus stop shelter.

The president was not at the White House at the time of the shooting because he flew to Mar-a-Lago yesterday for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Speaking to reporters at the scene, FBI Director Kash Patel described the attack as a “heinous act.”

Law enforcement members, including the U.S. Marshals Service, respond to a shooting near the White House

A law enforcement member with a rifle at the scene near the White House

Members of law enforcement, including the U.S. Marshals Service

Law enforcement remains near the scene where two West Virginia National Guard members were shot

Law enforcement officials stand near the scene where two West Virginia National Guard members were shot

“Because this is an assault on a federal law enforcement officer, at the federal level this will be treated as an assault on a federal law enforcement officer,” Patel said.

‘The FBI will lead this mission with our interagency partners, which include the Department of Homeland Security, Secret Service, ATF, and DEA, and we are grateful to the mayor for his assistance in this matter.’

He was joined by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said that D.C. Jeanine Pirro provided information about the U.S. attorney, as well as Attorney General Pam Bondi, who spoke to Trump when he called.

“I am the mayor of Washington, D.C., and I want to send my thoughts and prayers to the families of the Guard members and to the Guard members who are in critical condition at a local hospital,” the Democrat said.

‘We are working with the FBI director to ensure MPD investigates’ [and] ‘The US attorney is prosecuting this case to the fullest extent of the law.’

Journalist Mari Otsu said that while she was getting into a taxi near the metro station, she heard multiple gunshots and saw a soldier fall to the ground.

‘National Guardsman shot near the White House just before 2:15 p.m.[pm]. I was in an Uber to work with my cameraman and as I drove past Farragut West I heard multiple gunshots,” journalist Mari Otsu wrote to X.

‘One of the National Guard fell as others rushed to the scene. The area remains under lockdown and the Secret Service is being deployed.’

A police helicopter circles above the safe zone after a shooting in downtown Washington, D.C.

National Guard troops are on scene when US Marshals arrive

A Secret Service member stands guard at the scene

A National Guard soldier helps secure the perimeter near the White House in downtown D.C.

Other photos have emerged showing National Guard troops securing the perimeter in downtown D.C. where soldiers were shot.

The suspect’s identity has not been made public.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer released a statement praying for National Guard soldiers.

‘My heart breaks for the victims of this horrific attack near the White House in Washington DC.

‘I am monitoring the situation closely and praying for the injured National Guard members and their families. ‘I thank the first responders who acted quickly to capture the suspect.’

Following the attack, commercial flights to Reagan Washington International Airport were stopped for a short time.

The Federal Aviation Administration said this was due to ‘the positions of aircraft responding to today’s shooting incident’.

Normal operations have since resumed.