Elon Musk calls for "radical action" claiming the system is "broken" after 2 National Guard members are shot near the White House

The shooting of National Guard members in Washington D.C. on Wednesday (November 26) has shocked the entire nation, including Elon Musk, who penned a heartfelt note about the loss on his X handle on Thursday. Calling the system "broken," the Tesla owner tweeted:

"My deepest condolences to the families of the two National Guardsmen who were murdered in cold blood today. How many innocent people dying does it take to reform our broken system? Radical action is needed."

For the unversed, the shooting took place in Washington D.C.'s Farragut Square, when two National Guard members were shot by an Afghan-national later identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal. The 29-year-old entered the US in 2021, via Biden's Allies Welcome Programme, and was granted asylum in Washington earlier this year, in April 2025. 

A relative of the suspect also told NBC News that he had served in the Afghan Army for a decade, and was working with the US Special Forces Troop in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over. He added:

"We were the ones that were targeted by the Taliban in Afghanistan. I cannot believe it that he might do this."

🚨UPDATE: Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who came to US in 2021 under the Joe Biden's administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program, ID’d as an alleged terrorist gunman in the shooting of 2 National Guard members in Washington DC.

God bless our guardsmen. pic.twitter.com/WCjmp3hWE7

— AJ Huber (@Huberton) November 27, 2025

Both the guardsmen belonged to West Virginia, and fell victim to what Washington's mayor, Muriel Bowser, described as a "targeted shooting". They're both in admitted to separate hospitals and are in critical condition at the moment. 

​Rahmanullah Lakanwal had previously worked for the CIA, John Ratcliffe claims

pic.twitter.com/oQK0HLgf88

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2025

As the investigation into Rahmanullah Lakanwal deepens, it emerges that the Afghan-national had worked for different US government entities, including the CIA. Speaking about it with Fox News Digital, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said:

"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."

Intelligence sources have also reported to the media outlet that Lakanwal had worked as a member of a partner force in Kandahar before the US withdrawal. However, Rattcliffe was visibly unhappy about the situation, and added that Lakanwal "and so many others - should never have been allowed to come here". 

Much like Ratcliffe, President Trump is also outraged at the shooting, writing on social media:

"The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price!"

The President also praised the National Guards and swore to stand with them. He has since ordered Pete Hegseth for deloying additional 500 members of the Guards to Washington D.C.