The man who allegedly shot two National Guardsmen during what officials are calling a “targeted” attack in the nation’s capital yelled “Allahu Akbar” after the shooting, according to reports from those on the scene.
The new eyewitness accounts come on top of reports that the man involved was an Afghan national who was brought to the United States under former President Joe Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from the war-torn country and lent additional credibility to the theory that the shooting was an act of Islamic terrorism.
Julio Rosas, who has written for multiple political outlets, wrote on X that a law enforcement “source in D.C. tells me the National Guardsmen shooting suspect is an Afghan national who used a revolver.”
That national has now been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal by NBC News, a 29-year-old Afghani man whose last known address was in Bellingham, Washington. Fox News’ Bill Melugin said that the suspect had arrived in the country in September of 2021 as part of the Operation Allies Welcome program; he had reportedly overstayed his visa and was now in the United States illegally.
BREAKING: Per multiple federal law enforcement sources, the suspect in custody for the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in DC is an Afghan national who entered the U.S. on 9/8/2021 as part of the Biden admin’s Operation Allies Welcome in the aftermath of the US withdrawal…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) November 27, 2025
Rosas, describing the scene, said that “[a] National Guardsman, who was not armed with a firearm, used a pocket knife to stab the suspect. Another Guardsman responded to the gunfire and shot the suspect multiple times.”
“The suspect reportedly shouted, ‘Allahu akbar!’” Rosas concluded.
🚨LE source in D.C. tells me the National Guardsmen shooting suspect is an Afghan national who used a revolver.
A National Guardsman, who was not armed with a firearm, used a pocket knife to stab the suspect. Another Guardsman responded to the gunfire and shot the suspect…
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) November 26, 2025
“Allahu Akbar,” or “God is the greatest” in Arabic, is often yelled by individuals taking part in Islamist-related terror attacks.
The National Guard members, who were from West Virginia, were both shot in the head and are in critical condition as of Wednesday evening. The suspect was also shot and remains in the hospital, his condition unknown.
“The will initially investigate the shooting as a possible act of terrorism,” NBC News reported, citing “two senior U.S. law enforcement officials.”
The network added, however, that the shooter’s “motive has not been determined, and the nature of the investigation could change.”
Reports from both networks and law enforcement authorities could not confirm that the suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar.”
“The suspect came around the corner, he immediately started firing a firearm at the two National Guard members,” said Executive Assistant Police Chief Jeffery Carroll.
Carroll added that other National Guard troops heard the gunfire and responded to the scene.
“They actually were able to intervene and to kind of hold down the suspect, after he had been shot, on the ground until law enforcement got there within moments,” he told reporters.
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