D.C. Shooting not Labeled 'Terror Attack' because victims were not Jews

Controversy Erupts Over D.C. Shooting Classification: Critics Claim 'Terror' Label Withheld Due to Victims' Non-Jewish IdentitiesWASHINGTON, D.C. — As the nation's capital reels from Wednesday's brazen ambush on two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House, a firestorm of partisan accusations has ignited online and in conservative circles, with some alleging that federal authorities are deliberately avoiding labeling the attack a "terrorist incident" solely because the victims were not Jewish. The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, remains in custody after gunning down the uniformed soldiers in what officials have described as a "targeted ambush," prompting swift vows of revenge from President Donald Trump and a temporary freeze on Afghan immigration processing.

The violence unfolded around 2:15 p.m. near the Farragut West Metro station, just blocks from the executive mansion, where the Guardsmen—one male and one female—were conducting routine high-visibility patrols amid Trump's ongoing deployment of over 2,000 troops to combat urban crime in the District.

Lakanwal, who entered the U.S. in September 2021 under the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome program for Afghan allies fleeing Taliban reprisals, approached the pair without warning and opened fire with a handgun, striking both in the head at point-blank range, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

After exhausting his initial four rounds, he reportedly seized the fallen female Guardswoman's service weapon to continue the assault.

In a heroic response, nearby Guardsmen—including one who tackled and stabbed the assailant with a pocket knife—subdued Lakanwal in an exchange of gunfire, leaving him wounded and under hospital guard.

The victims were airlifted to trauma centers in critical condition, with West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey initially reporting their deaths before correcting to "conflicting reports" based on preliminary chaos.

While the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force has launched a probe into the incident as a "possible act of terrorism"—citing Lakanwal's Afghan origins, potential ties to international extremists, and reports of him shouting "Allahu Akbar" during the attack—the absence of an official "terror" designation has fueled explosive demands for justice.

Echoing the sentiment on X (formerly Twitter), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posted: "If these Guardsmen were wearing yarmulkes instead of uniforms, the DOJ would have helicopters circling by now. Woke bias kills."

The claims gained traction amid broader right-wing critiques of perceived "soft-on-terror" policies toward Muslim immigrants, contrasting with what detractors call aggressive labeling of white supremacist threats.

FBI Director Kash Patel pushed back during a briefing, insisting the investigation is "preliminary" and focused on uncovering motives, including any radicalization links to groups like ISIS-K.

From Mar-a-Lago, where he was marking a subdued Thanksgiving, President Trump decried the shooting as "an act of evil, hatred, and terror—a crime against humanity" in a fiery video address, pinning blame on Biden's "lax vetting" of Afghan evacuees and ordering an immediate review of all such immigrants.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services promptly halted all Afghan asylum and parole applications "indefinitely" for enhanced security checks, a move hailed by Trump as "putting America first."

The president also dispatched 500 additional troops to D.C., swelling the Guard presence to over 2,600.Democrats and Afghan advocacy groups condemned the politicization, with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser labeling it a "targeted shooting".

Lakanwal's family, reached in Washington state where he resided post-arrival, described him as a decorated former Afghan army veteran who served alongside U.S. Special Forces for a decade before resettling; they decried the incident as "an aberration born of isolation." 17GEN4.com