Washington: Europe and the Arabs

European media outlets in Brussels focused on the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members around 2:15 p.m. local time in Washington, D.C., the U.S. capital. According to the Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad, their condition is critical. The two soldiers were conducting "high-visibility patrols" when they were shot, according to police officials, who added that the suspected shooter was apprehended and has since been identified as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakhanwal. President Donald Trump described the incident as an act of terrorism and is taking action, while the FBI continues to investigate the motive. President Trump addressed the nation from his private club, Mar-a-Lago, a few hours after the shooting, which occurred around 2:15 p.m. local time. Trump used a dire tone, blaming former President Joe Biden and immigrants for the incident. The president described the suspect as "an alien who came into our country from Afghanistan." "Hell on Earth." He explicitly described the shooting as "an act of terrorism." Trump also called Biden "a disastrous president, the worst in our country's history." Biden led the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, while Trump called for a review of everyone who entered the country from Afghanistan during Biden's presidency. This call went unheeded, as US Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that all immigration applications from Afghan nationals would be "suspended indefinitely." This decision drew a strong response from the Afghan rights organization Afghan IFAC. The organization's president, Shawn Van Diver, pointed out that Afghan immigrants and war allies who settle in the US undergo extensive security screening, and that "this isolated and violent act by this individual should not be used as a pretext to stigmatize an entire community." An Afghan asylum seeker who served in the special forces.

The suspect is Rahmanullah Lakhanwal, a 29-year-old man from Washington state who immigrated to the US from Afghanistan in August 2021. According to CNN, he applied for and was granted asylum in 2024. Earlier this year, a law enforcement official said authorities had fingerprinted the detained man and obtained his first name. The suspected gun used in the shooting was also recovered.

A relative of the suspected shooter told NBC News that the suspect had served with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan before coming to the United States.

On Truth Social, Trump promised the shooter would pay a heavy price. “The animal who shot two National Guardsmen (...) is also badly wounded and will pay a heavy price, whatever it takes,” he said.

At Trump’s direction, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem condemned the attack, citing the suspect’s nationality in the Washington, D.C., shooting and former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies in connection with the violent incident. Updates regarding the condition of the two National Guardsmen were later revised.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey had earlier announced that the two National Guardsmen had died, but was forced to retract his statement. He wrote on Channel X that he had received “conflicting reports” about their condition. The governor then stated that he had spoken with President Trump. Regarding the shooting, he confirmed that Trump, as well as the state of West Virginia, "stands behind" the National Guard after the incident, which he described as "an act of unspeakable violence." Morrissey said in a video message posted later that evening on his official YouTube channel: "We continue to work to ensure justice is served."

"Five shots fired"
According to the mayor of Washington, D.C., the attack was targeted. A source told CNN that the suspect in custody, who was reportedly seriously wounded, is not cooperating with investigators. The suspect was also reported to have no identification. An eyewitness told CNN: "I heard five shots, and then everyone started running." Initially, there were two gunshots, and 30 seconds later, there were three more. At Trump's request, National Guard troops have been deployed to the nation's capital since August. According to recent military figures, 2,175 troops were deployed by mid-November. The city council accuses the federal government of overstepping its authority. Since June, the Republican president has successively sent the National Guard to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Memphis, each time against the advice of local Democratic officials, arguing that these reinforcements are necessary to combat crime and support the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt announced that President Donald Trump's official residence was placed on lockdown following the incident. "The White House is aware of this tragic situation and is closely monitoring it," she said. The president was not in Washington, D.C., at the time of the incident, as he was attending Thanksgiving celebrations in Florida. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reported that President Donald Trump had requested an additional 500 National Guard troops be sent to the capital. "This happened just steps from the White House, and this is unacceptable," Hegseth said in his statement. Acceptable. Therefore, President Trump asked me to send an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. Former President Barack Obama condemned the violence. In a post on X, he said, "There is no place for violence in America. Michelle and I are praying for the service members shot in Washington, D.C., today, and sending our condolences to their families as they enter this holiday season under these tragic circumstances." Joe Biden, whom both Trump and Kirsty Noem blamed, also condemned Wednesday's shooting on X.com, saying, "Violence in all its forms is unacceptable, and we must all stand together against it. Jill and I are deeply saddened by the shooting of two National Guard members outside the White House," he said in a post on X.com. "Our thoughts are with the service members and their families."