According to media reports, the suspect arrested after a gun attack on US National Guardsmen in Washington worked for the US Army in Afghanistan. The 29-year-old Afghan worked in Kandahar with the US foreign secret service CIA and other government agencies before he was evacuated to the USA in September 2021, US media reported on Wednesday (local time), citing CIA chief John Ratcliffe. US President Donald Trump condemned the attack as an “act of terror”. The Pentagon announced an increase in the National Guard in Washington.
The perpetrator seriously injured two National Guard soldiers with gunfire in the center of the US capital on Wednesday. According to the FBI, the lives of the two soldiers were in danger. The suspect was shot and seriously injured by security forces.
According to media reports, the 29-year-old served in the Afghan army for around ten years and worked with US special forces in Afghanistan. He applied for asylum in 2024, which was granted to him in 2025, the broadcasters CNN and CBS reported, citing the authorities.
Suspect entered the country via the “Operation Allies Welcome” program
The suspect was “one of the many unverified people who were allowed into the United States en masse as part of ‘Operation Allies Welcome,'” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday. She was referring to a program by then US President Joe Biden to accept Afghan citizens who had worked with the US before the Taliban came to power.
After years of Western military presence, the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021 and declared a so-called emirate there.
Vice President JD Vance said he had already criticized Biden’s policy of “admitting Afghan refugees en masse and without control” in 2021. Friends called him a racist at the time. But the Afghans “should not have been in our country,” Vance added in the online service X.
Trump speaks of “act of evil”
Trump condemned the attack in a short video message on Wednesday as an “act of evil, an act of hate and an act of terror.” “Every single foreigner” who entered the USA from Afghanistan during the presidency of his predecessor Biden must be checked again.
The US Immigration and Immigration Services (USCIS) subsequently announced that it would immediately suspend the processing of all immigration applications from Afghan citizens until further notice.
According to the non-profit organization AfghanEvac, Afghan citizens already have to undergo “one of the most extensive security checks”. The “isolated and violent act” of one individual should not be used as an excuse to discredit all Afghans, demanded AfghanEvac boss Shawn VanDiver.
Defense Minister wants to increase the number of National Guard troops in Washington
After the incident, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that he would increase the number of National Guard troops in the capital by 500 to more than 2,500. The violent act strengthened the government’s resolve to make Washington “safe and beautiful” again.
Trump ordered National Guard soldiers to the capital in August. The president explained that Washington had a “higher crime rate than some of the most dangerous places in the world.” However, police statistics do not confirm this. Trump had sent the National Guard exclusively to cities like Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis, which are governed by the opposition Democrats.
A US federal judge declared the deployment of the National Guard in the US capital illegal just last week. But Judge Jia Cobb granted the government until December 11 to appeal.
