The Afghan man accused of shooting two members of the US National Guard just steps from the White House previously worked with the CIA in Afghanistan, newly surfaced information suggests.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, allegedly opened fire on the service members on Wednesday after travelling across the country from Washington state “with the intended target of coming to our nation’s capital,” according to prosecutors. Lakanwal, a father of five, arrived in the United States in 2021 following the Taliban’s takeover and was granted asylum earlier this year.
John Ratcliffe, director of the CIA, confirmed that Lakanwal had collaborated with US intelligence in Kandahar before leaving Afghanistan. As reported by The Times UK, his cooperation with American agencies formed part of the justification for his resettlement.
President Trump announced on Thursday that one of the two guardsmen had died from her injuries. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of West Virginia, succumbed to wounds sustained in what authorities described as a point-blank attack. The second victim, Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
“Sarah Beckstrom… was highly respected, young, magnificent,” Trump said during a Thanksgiving call with service members. “She’s just passed away.” Beckstrom’s father had earlier told The New York Times that her wounds were not survivable.
According to US Attorney-General for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, the suspect used a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, firing first at one guard member before leaning over and shooting again. The second victim was struck multiple times. Other guardsmen on site subdued the gunman, who was hospitalised and is under guard.
Pirro said Lakanwal lived in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, and that charges could include first-degree murder. “They answered the call… they put their lives on the line for people they don’t even know,” she said of the guardsmen.
The attack has ignited a political firestorm over immigration and vetting procedures. Ratcliffe criticised the decision to admit Lakanwal in 2021, describing it as a failure of the prior administration. Trump, calling the shooting an “act of terror,” announced the deployment of an additional 500 National Guard members to Washington and ordered the suspension of immigration processing for all Afghan nationals.
In a speech from Mar-a-Lago, Trump described the shooter as an “animal” and pledged “swift and certain justice.” He also called for a complete re-evaluation of green cards issued to immigrants from countries designated as security concerns.
Joseph Edlow, director of the US immigration agency, said the review would be “full-scale” and that “American safety is non-negotiable.”
The motive behind the shooting remains under investigation.
