00:00Two National Guard soldiers are in critical condition after being shot in Washington, D.C.,
00:11less than two blocks from the White House, in what local officials describe as a targeted shooting.
00:17Authorities say the attack occurred on Wednesday afternoon near the busy intersection of 17th and I Streets,
00:24close to the Farragut Square metro station.
00:27The soldiers, both members of the West Virginia National Guard, were on a routine high visibility patrol
00:34in an area filled with office workers and heavy foot traffic.
00:39According to Metropolitan Police and Federal officials, a lone suspect approached the two service members,
00:46came around a corner and opened fire without warning.
00:49Members of the National Guard who were stationed nearby heard the gunshots and reacted immediately.
00:55Police say those guard members intervened, tackled the suspect to the ground and restrained him until law enforcement arrived on scene within moments.
01:04Law enforcement sources later confirmed that the suspect had been shot four times during the confrontation.
01:10President Donald Trump, who was in Florida at the time of the attack, identified the alleged gunman as an Afghan national who entered the United States in September 2021.
01:24The Department of Homeland Security later named the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakamal and described him as a criminal alien from Afghanistan.
01:35Officials have not clarified his exact immigration status.
01:39Tens of thousands of Afghan nationals entered the United States following the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under an emergency admissions program established by the previous administration.
01:54President Trump vowed that his administration would ensure the suspect pays the steepest possible price for what he called an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror.
02:06In a late-night address, he called for a full re-examination of all Afghan nationals who entered the country under special protections.
02:13Shortly afterward, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it had temporarily halted processing of Afghan immigration requests while vetting procedures undergo review.
02:25As President of the United States, I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price.
02:37I can report tonight that based on the best available information, the Department of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on earth.
02:52He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about.
03:02Nobody knew who was coming in. Nobody knew anything about it.
03:06His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden, a disastrous president, the worst in the history of our country.
03:15This attack underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation.
03:22FBI Director Kash Patel, whose agency is leading the investigation, said the two soldiers were brazenly attacked in what he called a horrendous act of violence.
03:34Investigators have not determined a motive, and they say the suspect has not cooperated with questioning.
03:41Authorities have also not released details about the weapon used in the shooting.
03:47We're here to brief you on the tragic events that happened today at approximately 2.15 local time in Washington, D.C.
03:55Where two of our brave members of the National Guard and Department of War were brazenly attacked in a horrendous act of violence.
04:02They were shot. They're in critical condition.
04:05As you can see behind me, we have assembled the full force of both the federal and state and local law enforcement agencies to bring bare all of our resources to make sure we find the perpetrators responsible for this heinous act.
04:17And make no mistake, they will be brought to justice.
04:20Metropolitan Police Assistant Chief Jeff Carroll said the soldiers were effectively ambushed, describing how the suspect immediately started firing a firearm as soon as he appeared.
04:32Officers arriving on scene found shattered glass from a bus stop, police vehicles blocking the area, and National Guard members securing the perimeter.
04:42A large police and security presence remained in place for hours as federal and local agencies conducted interviews and gathered evidence.
04:52Following the attack, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the President had ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington.
05:00He stated that security operations in the capital would continue to be strengthened, and that federal authorities were working closely with D.C. officials to assess ongoing risks.
05:10Myself and my team were notified that two National Guardsmen had been shot in Washington, D.C., critically wounded.
05:20The shooter shot in a cowardly, dastardly act, targeting the best of America.
05:30Heroes willing to serve in Washington, D.C., serve for people they don't know and they've never met because they love their country and their capital and their community.
05:40They were willing to do dangerous things others were not because they love their fellow Americans.
05:48Someone decided to turn that into targeting National Guardsmen.
05:52That will only stiffen our resolve.
05:55We will never back down.
05:57We will secure our capital, secure our cities.
06:00In fact, this happened just steps away from the White House.
06:02It will not stand.
06:03And that's why President Trump has asked me and I will ask the Secretary of the Army to the National Guard to add 500 additional troops, National Guardsmen to Washington, D.C.
06:15This will only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington, D.C. safe and beautiful.
06:22Vice President J.D. Vance, who was speaking to troops in Kentucky at the time of the incident, called on Americans to pray for the wounded soldiers and their families.
06:33Federal agencies, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Secret Service continue to coordinate the investigation.
06:42Officials say updates will be released once the suspect's condition stabilizes and more information becomes available regarding motive, background and any possible connections to other individuals or groups.
06:55First of all, I want everybody who's a person of faith to say a prayer for those two National Guardsmen that they're able to spend Thanksgiving with their families instead of losing their lives because I understand they're still in pretty tough condition.
07:07But I think it's a it's a somber reminder that soldiers, whether they're active duty, reserve or National Guard, our soldiers are the sword and the shield of the United States of America.
07:20And as a person who goes into work every single day in that building and knows that there are a lot of people who wear the uniform of the United States Army, let me just say very personally, thank them for what they're doing.
07:34We're grateful to them and we're praying that they're going to be safe and they're going to spend Thanksgiving with their families. God bless them.
07:41As of now, the two National Guard members remain hospitalized in critical condition.
07:46Authorities have not released their names.
07:49The shooting has prompted renewed scrutiny of security measures in the federal district and will likely remain a major point of discussion among lawmakers, law enforcement agencies and the public in the coming days.
08:01In the last few days.
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