The suspect arrested in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., worked with CIA-backed military units during the U.S. war in Afghanistan, the agency said Thursday.Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal,

An Afghan national has been accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence.

Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital, identified the two members of the West Virginia National Guard wounded as Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24. The shooting took place around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday afternoon near the Farragut West Metro station.

The Nov. 26 attack left both the National Guard members in critical condition, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Lakanwal “was one of the many unvetted, mass paroled into the United States,” repeating a long-cited criticism of many Republicans, who argue the withdrawal—and subsequent evacuation and resettling of the Afghan nationals—in 2021 was rushed.

Rep. James Walkinshaw said the Trump administration was taking its "eye off the ball" on public safety after two National Guard members were shot near the White House.

The soldiers were critically injured and hospitalised. The alleged attacker was shot, not fatally, by another Guard member. Donald Trump called it an “act of terror” and promised that the “animal” responsible would pay the “steepest possible price”. Officials named the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan.

TMZ reported that Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that Francisco Otilio Gayton, 27, Benny LiconGomez, 27, and Eduardo Lopez, 21, have each been charged with one count of felony murder and two felony counts of attempted second-degree robbery. Gayton and LiconGomez are in custody, per TMZ, and a warrant is out for Lopez.