A 29-year-old Afghan man has been arrested after shooting two soldiers from the National Guard near the White House on Wednesday, according to American media.

It is around quarter past two on Wednesday afternoon, local time, when the two soldiers from the West Virginia National Guard are patrolling near the Farragut West Metro Station, a couple of blocks from the White House in Washington, when they are suddenly shot at.

The perpetrator, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, first shoots one of the soldiers, a woman, in the chest, before shooting her in the head. He then continues and shoots another soldier, before a third soldier manages to intervene, according to the New York Post.

From Afghanistan

New York Post also writes that Rahmanullah Lakanwal came from Afghanistan in September 2021, after the chaotic U.S. retreat from the country in connection with the Taliban’s takeover of power.

He was one of about 90,000 Afghans who could then receive a special visa to the U.S.; something that was offered to those who had collaborated with the American troops and their families during ‘Operation Allies Welcome.’ The opportunity was utilized by just over half of those who received the offer.

Lakanwal’s visa expired in September this year, but he chose to stay in the U.S. illegally.

Trump: An act of terrorism

Thanksgiving is celebrated on Thursday in the U.S., and the attack was carried out the evening before the estimated holiday. Something that U.S. President Donald Trump points out in a speech on Wednesday evening.

“This heinous attack was an evil deed, a hateful deed, and an act of terrorism. It was a crime against our entire nation. Against humanity,” he says in the speech.

Both soldiers from the National Guard who were shot are reported to be in critical condition.