US President Donald Trump has called for a reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who entered the United States during the Biden administration after saying the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington had arrived from Afghanistan in 2021.
In a video statement on Wednesday, Trump described the shooting as "a monstrous ambush-style attack just steps away from the White House" and said the soldiers were fired upon "at point-blank range" on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday.
"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," he said.
Trump added that the attack "was an act of terrorism" and said the assault on the National Guard represented "the greatest national security threat" facing the United States.
He also claimed the previous administration had allowed "20 million undocumented foreigners from around the world" to enter the country without proper vetting.
He said the United States must "re-examine every foreign national who entered from Afghanistan during the Biden presidency" and stressed that such an incident "will not be tolerated."
"We will not tolerate this kind of assault on law and order by individuals who should not be in our country," Trump said.
"America will not surrender in the face of terrorism and we will not allow ourselves to be deterred from the mission our service members were carrying out with honour."
Trump said the suspect, who was severely wounded, would "face swift and certain justice," adding: "We will bring the perpetrator of this brutal attack to swift and certain justice if the bullet that struck him does not."
The president said he had also directed the deployment of an additional 500 troops to Washington, DC, following the attack.
The shooting has intensified political debate in the capital and renewed focus on Trump’s approach to crime and security, including the presence and deployment of National Guard units across the city.
