National Guard soldiers shot in Washington DC 'terror attack' named

by · Mail Online

The two National Guardsmen who were shot in Wednesday's horror terror attack in Washington DC have been named. 

Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Sarah Backstrom, 20, were identified in a press conference on Thursday. 

Officials said both guardsmen underwent surgery and remain in critical condition. 

DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro revealed that both soldiers had only been sworn into the National Guard days before the attack. 

The soldiers were ambushed on Wednesday while on patrol as part of President Donald Trump's ongoing effort to clean up the streets of D.C.

Afghan soldier Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was named as the alleged gunman in custody over the horror shoot-out. 

Lakanwal was brought to the United States in 2021 as part of former president Joe Biden's Operation Allies Welcome when he withdrew from Afghanistan, which facilitated temporary visas for Afghans who assisted US Special Forces.

Officials said at the Thursday press conference that Lakanwal drove across the country from his home in Bellingham, Washington, to DC before he fired at the troops on Wednesday afternoon with a .357 revolver.

He was shot during the chaotic aftermath of the terror attack and he also remains in hospital, Pirro said, and will be charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. 

Andrew Wolfe was publicly identified in a tribute by his former high school on Wednesday night, hours after the tragedy unfolded just yards from the White House
Sarah Backstrom, 20, was also shot in the attack, and both she and Wolfe were said to be in critical condition after undergoing surgery 
Afghan soldier Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was named as the alleged gunman in custody over the horror shoot-out

A spokesperson for Musselman High School identified Wolfe as one of the victims in a moving tribute to Facebook. 

'Our Applemen community is deeply saddened to learn that... alumnus, Andrew Wolfe, was one of the National Guardsmen injured in the shooting in Washington, D.C. today,' the post read.

'Andrew is currently in critical condition and undergoing surgery. Please keep Andrew, his family, and all those affected in your thoughts.

'Once an Applemen, Always an Applemen,' he said, referring to the school mascot.

Late on Wednesday night, CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Lakanwal had direct links to the CIA from his work alongside US Special Forces in Afghanistan.

'The Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. government, including CIA,' Ratcliffe admitted.

He said his involvement with the CIA was 'as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation.'

DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro (left) holds a press conference alongside FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday
Footage emerged from the scene on Wednesday showing first responders performing CPR on a troop shot in the head

Like President Trump, Ratcliffe slammed the former administration's 'disastrous' actions during the withdrawal of Afghanistan, which allowed unvetted foreigners to enter the US on temporary visas.

'The individual - and so many others - should have never been allowed to come here,' Ratcliffe said. 

'Our citizens and service members deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration's catastrophic failures.' 

In response to the shooting, President Trump took aim solely at his predecessor Joe Biden and the previous administration on Wednesday night, insisting 'no country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival.

'The suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on earth.

'He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021, on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about. Nobody knew who was coming in. 

'His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden, a disastrous president, the worst in our history.'

A member of law enforcement with a rifle at the scene near the White House

Trump went on to warn authorities 'must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.

'This heinous assault was an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity... This attack underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation.'

Shortly after his speech, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services indefinitely stopped 'processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals, effective immediately... pending further review of security and vetting protocols. 

'The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission,' the department said in a statement.

Trump vowed that 'the animal' who shot the troops 'will pay a very steep price' as he praised 'every member of the United States military who is deployed tonight, at home and abroad.'

He urged all families to 'say a prayer for the two great heroes who were horribly shot.'